Corrections; Reentry

In our pre-COVID-19 world, the statistics surrounding addiction and opioid use disorder were already staggering. Now, as communities and providers slowly reopen, we are seeing remarkable increases in behavioral health issues. Many individuals have experienced higher levels of anxiety, depression, social isolation, financial worries, changes at work and home, and a continuous sense of uncertainty.

To reduce the risk of opioid overdose and death when reentering the community after incarceration, individuals with opioid use disorder who are incarcerated should have access to jail-provided medications for opioid use disorder (MOUD) – methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone – and are promptly connected to services in the community upon release. Planning for reentry from jail is challenging under normal circumstances but is even more challenging when people are admitted and released within days.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) has developed a toolkit to help tribal justice system practitioners create or enhance reentry programs for American Indians and Alaska Natives returning from jail or prison. The Planning a Reentry program: A Toolkit for Tribal Communities offers resources and insights on forming a planning team and navigating through all the key steps of developing a reentry program, including developing partnerships, refining your reentry program, measuring program impact, and planning for sustainability.

Please join the National Criminal Justice Association (NCJA) webinar, Workforce Development within Reentry: Enhancing Public Safety through Employment. The webinar will take place on Tuesday, April 15 at 3 p.m. EST and will highlight multiple strategies for building workforce development and job readiness into reentry service models. Specifically, this webinar will look at the work of the Utah Employment Placement Project and New York City’s Center for Employment Opportunities.