- Support Vera |
- Events |
- Careers |
- Locations |
- Contact Us
Reentry Is Relational
The Family Justice Program’s Reentry Is Relational initiative is training staff at two prisons in New Mexico and Oklahoma, and at their corresponding probation and parole offices, to help incarcerated people draw on their social networks as they transition from prison to parole. By enhancing case management practices at the facilities and promoting more collaboration between prison and parole staff, it seeks to improve reentry outcomes for people coming home from prison. To sustain changes in practices and policies, the initiative also provides these institutions with technical assistance and evaluation support.
Expert
-
Director, Family Justice Program
Multimedia
Vera’s Family Justice Program helps corrections, parole, and probation staff draw on families as a positive influence for their loved ones in the justice system. This five minute video, developed with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance and the Public Welfare Foundation, depicts how this approach is being implemented by corrections, parole and probation in Oklahoma City. The video was directed by Brian Quist.
Project staff are working to make case management and reentry planning at partner agencies family focused and tailored to the returning individuals’ strengths. The training involves several tools and methods, including a list of questions called the Relational Inquiry Tool. The tool has been shown to be effective in helping incarcerated people maintain positive connections to their families and communities, leading to better overall release planning. The project is supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
The project's partners, the Oklahoma Department of Corrections and the New Mexico Corrections Department, were selected through a competitive search process.
- Project staff are working in Oklahoma with staff from the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center, a women’s prison in the town of McCloud, and probation and parole officers at the Central District Probation and Parole office in Oklahoma City, to integrate the Family Justice tools and methodologies into all aspects of the reentry process.
- In 2008, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson's task force on prison reform called for strengthening partnerships between corrections and community corrections, involving families and social networks in reentry planning, and providing community-based services for people returning from prison and their families. Reentry Is Relational staff are helping to implement some of those recommendations at the Central New Mexico Correctional Facility in Los Lunas and at an Albuquerque-area probation and parole office.
Why Does This Work Matter?
The vast majority of individuals leaving prison will serve a term of probation or parole. Their success in returning home can be greatly enhanced if they have the support of family members and when community corrections officers draw on an individual’s strengths and motivation. Research shows that such positive reinforcement is key to improving behavior. Corrections and community corrections staff who consider returning individuals in the context of their families and social networks better understand both their challenges and the resources available to help them to make the transition successful.
For more information, contact Margaret diZerega.
