| Other Topics | ASCA President's Corner Offender Reentry
Director Reginald A. Wilkinson, Ed.D.
Association of State
Correctional Administrators |
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American Correctional Association
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Offender Reentry: Is it the "flavor of the day" or is it the real deal? Anytime something new in our business surfaces there is a tendency to label it a fad. I don't think labels are always bad, and it's permissible to be skeptical about that which we have doubts about. But until an idea is disproved I conjure that we should not embrace a cynical point of view. Of course there is the argument that offender reentry is not new at all. Some debate that reentry is parole reinvented. I don't agree because reentry includes parole, but it is certainly not limited to a supervision model. Others state that we have been involved in discharge planning, prerelease training, and reintegration activities for decades. I agree, but again reentry is, or at least should be, inclusive of these notions. In my mind, reentry is more of a correctional philosophy rather than a program. I liken reentry to being the Microsoft Windows 2000 operating system rather than Microsoft Word, Excel, or Access. So what does this mean exactly? It suggests that nearly all that we do relative to offender programming, rehabilitation, and treatment should be related to the successful reentry of convicted felons. To explain further, reentry planning, unlike prerelease readiness, must be set forth for the incarcerated individual soon after being admitted to a reception center. There, a calculated process of designing a case management approach to developing a treatment/reentry plan should be implemented: i.e., medical concerns, employment preparedness, supervision, education, vocational training, etc. During these challenging times reentry becomes an even more important notion. If the residual benefits of having a successful reentry philosophy are saving taxpayer dollars, then so be it. We all have the duty to be good stewards of the funds appropriated to our agencies. In addition to good fiscal management, I believe preventing recidivism should be a part of the budget management menu. I am well aware that certain programs such as sex offender treatment and academic education have been targets of budget cuts. I would implore you to suppress the impulse to minimize the importance of these programs. We have learned over the years that treatment does work. Post release employment prevents return to prison. And so does mental health treatment. And so does substance abuse treatment. And so does a multitude of other carefully thought out and evaluated activities. Yes, some criminals will return to prison despite our best efforts. Nevertheless, our focus should be to have a balanced approach to corrections management. Operating at one end of the continuum or the other isn't good enough. The idea of offender reentry is not a cure-all, but it makes good penological sense. For many years we have been subjects of criticism because of the "nothing works" syndrome. Now it is our duty to certify that some things do work. Offender reentry has all the possibilities of being the silver bullet that this profession needs. Let's not discount it. |
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