RPC Newsletter - 10/19/2007

FEATURE

CSG Justice Center Unveils New Reentry Policy Council Website

The Council of State Governments Justice Center today announced the launch of its new Reentry Policy Council (RPC) website at www.reentrypolicy.org. The redesigned site provides more resources and is easier to navigate, giving website visitors quick access to media coverage, announcements from the field, publications, and upgraded tools and materials on a range of reentry issues.

The website also continues to showcase the Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council, a comprehensive guide published in 2005 that contains hundreds of policy recommendations for legislators, service providers, researchers, criminal justice professionals, and others involved in creating and implementing effective reentry initiatives. Users will be able to access the full report, or can easily find relevant sections through links on the website that are dedicated to particular topics or project work.

"At a time when states are fighting high recidivism rates that compromise public safety and contribute to the unsustainable growth of prison populations, it’s vital to ensure that state agencies and community organizations can easily access and put to use the practical, nonpartisan information that the Justice Center’s Reentry Policy Council offers," said Florida State Senator Stephen Wise, Justice Center board member and Senate Criminal Justice Committee member. "The updated and redesigned RPC website does just that."

In addition, the revamped website will feature a suite of hands-on tools designed to help users apply policy recommendations and other information contained in the report to their own reentry programs and initiatives. For example, site visitors can use the Reentry Housing Options Comparison Chart to compare housing options available to people returning to the community from prison or jail. This chart presents extensive information on myriad topics including availability, duration, and funding sources for several housing types in an easy-to-read format.

The RPC plans to release several additional web-based tools later this fall that will address the following issues: assessing the risks and needs of people who are incarcerated or released from prison or jail, accessing federal benefits and cash assistance programs that can aid this population, and improving collaborations between community supervision agencies and children and family services.

"The Reentry Policy Council website is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in prisoner reentry issues, from policymakers to staff working to carry out those policies every day in their communities," said New York State Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, Justice Center board member and chair of the Assembly Committee on Correction. "The new website includes such features as interactive tools, which will allow people working on reentry issues across the country to evaluate and improve their programs, and the latest reentry news, funding opportunities, new research, and publications."

The launch of the improved RPC website is the first step in the Justice Center’s plan to provide users with a comprehensive online database of reentry resources, including profiles of local programs, research studies, media articles, legislation, descriptions of local advocacy efforts, and examples of coordination by state agencies and community-based organizations to promote integrated reentry strategies. This database will complement the Justice Center’s existing Criminal Justice / Mental Health Information Network, which provides expansive information on mental health issues as they relate to the criminal justice system.

The Reentry Policy Council is a public/private partnership funded in part by the U.S. Departments of Justice, Labor, and Health and Human Services, as well as the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. For more information, visit www.reentrypolicy.org.

The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. It provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies—informed by available evidence—to increase public safety and strengthen communities. The Justice Center coordinates the Reentry Policy Council. For more information, visit www.justicecenter.csg.org.

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ANNOUNCEMENTS & EVENTS

Call for Presentations

2008 National GAINS Center Conference: "Creating More Effective Services"
Submission Deadline: October 30, 2007

Occasional Series on Reentry Research

"Fictive Kinship as Reentry Strategy: The Role of Social Relations in Prisoner Reintegration"
Prisoner Reentry Institute, John Jay College of Criminal Justice
November 2, 2007
New York, NY

2007 Annual Meeting

American Society of Criminology
November 14-17, 2007
Atlanta, GA

National Summit on Prisoner Reentry

White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
November 27-28, 2007
Los Angeles, CA

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FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES

Substance Abuse Policy Research Program

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is accepting proposals for its Substance Abuse Policy Research Program (SAPRP). SAPRP projects focus on producing policy-relevant information about ways to reduce the harm caused by the use of tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in the United States. The program provides the opportunity for policy researchers from a variety of disciplines - including public health, law, and criminal justice, among others - to apply their expertise to important, challenging problems in this field.

Application Deadline: November 7, 2007

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REENTRY NEWS

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PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES

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In this Issue

 Our Publications

10/23/2008: New Toolkit on Law Enforcement Role in Prisoner Reentry: Four Agencies Selected as "Learning Sites" with Justice Department Grant

The Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced today the release of the toolkit, Planning and Assessing a Law Enforcement Reentry Strategy. With support by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), the kit has been designed as a guide and self-assessment tool for policing personnel and their partners to help reduce repeat crimes and facilitate successful reintegration by the more than 700,000 individuals who return to our communities from prisons each year and the more than 9 million from jails.

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