Release Planning for Successful Reentry: A Self-Assessment Tool for Corrections

Abstract

This self-assessment tool is designed to aid correctional administrators in evaluating and improving their release planning practices. With funding from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and in partnership with the Wisconsin Department of Corrections, Urban Institute staff developed and piloted a monthly assessment tool for individual correctional institutions and a yearly assessment tool for correctional agencies to monitor overall departmental performance. The policies and procedures identified as best practices in the tool are drawn from Release Planning for Successful Reentry: A Guide for Corrections, Service Providers, and Community Groups.

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Introduction

In recent years, significant progress has been made in addressing the issues surrounding prisoner reentry. State departments of correction (DOCs) have launched a variety of initiatives designed to improve the reentry process, but little attention has been paid to the role of release planning as preparation for the moment of release and as a mechanism for connecting former prisoners with appropriate services and support systems in their communities. Exiting prisoners who are not equipped to meet their most basic needs are more likely to reoffend than individuals who are prepared for the immediate challenges they will face outside prison walls. Thus, the moment of release represents a critical point in time that can make or break an inmate's successful reintegration into society.

While virtually every DOC in the country is engaged in something that could be termed "discharge" or "release" planning, the depth and breadth of such plans vary widely. For prison administrators who want to improve their release planning policies — often in the face of limited resources — determining what kinds of services to provide to prisoners and where to invest resources within the prison system can be a difficult task. To use funding and staff time most efficiently you must not only understand what exemplary release planning policies are, but which of your prisons have these release planning policies in place and whether or not those policies are being implemented appropriately. Determining what release planning policies your prisons are engaged in will make deciding where and how to invest future release planning efforts and resources a less daunting task.

This self-assessment tool is designed to help you — the corrections administrator — evaluate the services the prisons in your state provide to exiting prisoners to prepare them for release, identify goals for enhancing these services, and develop strategies to overcome obstacles you may face when making policy improvements. It will aid you in evaluating the performance of each of your prisons over time, as well as the performance of your department as a whole. The tool is organized according to the most basic needs prisoners face at the moment of release: transportation; clothing, food and hygiene; financial resources; housing; identification and other important documents; employment and education; and community resources and support systems. Each of these sections contains policy recommendations that represent what are considered "best practices"¹ in release planning policy. Prisons that implement these practices will increase the odds that their prisoners are prepared for the most immediate challenges they will face upon exit.

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