Reentry programs in correctional facilities are not created equal, with some institutions committed to preparing individuals for their return home, while others provide little to no reentry services or programs.

 

​As a former educator in the Maryland Criminal Justice system, primarily at the Maryland Correctional Institute for Women, I learned a few things about the system. I started the journey with preconceived notions that the system was one of rehabilitation but soon realized that prison is our most closed system and thus we don’t know what we can’t see. Our criminal justice system is a very broken system. Despite downward trends in criminal activity, the U.S. still has the highest incarceration rate in the world. Although number one in incarceration, we are failing at rehabilitation and preparation.

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My experience teaching incarcerated individuals and running a nonprofit that provides reentry services post incarceration has shown me that our returning neighbors are ill-equipped to return home and be successful. Preparation for reentry is not beginning soon enough.

 

That is why our staff, volunteers, and partners strive to use our experience, expertise, and resources to empower incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals with the skills, tools, and knowledge they need to become thriving and productive citizens in the communities to which they return.