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Close to Home
Close to Home seeks to improve reentry outcomes when people return to the community from jail. Program staff will partner with jails, community-corrections agencies, and community-based organizations in two jurisdictions to help them apply a family-focused approach to reentry planning. The project's lessons are expected to be applicable to jurisdictions throughout the country.
Expert
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Director, Family Justice Program
Why Does This Work Matter?
Most reentry initiatives in the United States focus on people who are leaving prison, often after an extended sentence. Because jail stays are usually far shorter, the challenges associated with returning to the community from jail may be underestimated. But after even a short time in jail, people often face the same hurdles as those coming home from prison. These may include, for example, unemployment, changes in family dynamics, and a need to reapply for federal benefits. Close to Home will adapt the Family Justice Program’s methodology to suit jail staff and their community partners. As a result, these key service providers will be better able to help jailed individuals identify family and community members who can serve as a resource for them—both while they are incarcerated and after they return home.
Two sites—Montgomery County, Maryland, and Green Lake County, Wisconsin—have recently been selected to participate in this project, which is funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. For more information about Close to Home, contact Ryan Shanahan.
