Reentry: The Centerpiece of Real Reform

Transitioning, Not Just Transferring Inmates
Secure Community Reentry Facilities are the rehabilitation centerpiece of AB 900, and are key to transitioning ex-offenders from prison back to their home community.  Reentry facilities are to be built in the local community where an offender is by law required to return, and will provide intensive rehabilitation programs during the inmates’ final 12 months in custody.  Currently, an inmate that leaves prison is sent back to their county of last legal residence with $200 in gate money, minus the cost of a bus ticket, and little to no prospects for success.  The rehabilitative reentry model created by AB 900 is designed to allow for a transition period where an inmate can reconnect with the local community, receive evidence-based programs tailored to meet their needs, and develop a plan for a crime-free life upon release. 

Community-Based Option Enhances Successful Reentry of Offenders
Research shows that offenders are more likely to be successful on parole, and less likely to return to prison when they receive intensive programming that is focused on their criminogenic needs and near their local community.  Therefore the intensive treatment and rehabilitation programs to be placed in Secure Community Reentry Facilities are designed to:

• Connect the inmate to community services and support programs; and,
  
• Provide a continuity of care.

Each reentry facility will be designed in cooperation with local county and/or city officials to meet local needs.  CDCR will work closely with local communities to provide treatment interventions supported by evidence-based practices.

Risk and Needs Assessments Critical to Reentry
Risk and needs assessments conducted on inmates selected for reentry will be critical to designing their program.  Multiple instruments will be utilized to determine which inmates have a moderate to high risk to re offend. This group will be a key focus in reentry facilities, and programs will be targeted to meet their needs.  Core program that will be delivered in reentry facilities include:

• Academic, vocational and financial education;
  
• Substance abuse treatment;
  
• Aggression, hostility, anger and violence management;
  
• Criminal thinking, behaviors and associations; and,
  
• Family, marital and relationship assistance.

Individualized case management plans will be developed for each offender that include: specific goals and objectives, programs and services to be provided, expectations and outcomes, time lines for completion of milestones, involvement of familial and community supports, and planning for community reentry and reintegration.

CDCR is also developing a partnership with the California Workforce Investment Board and its existing statewide employment infrastructure to provide an integrated comprehensive employment program to connect offenders to jobs upon release from prison.

Reentry Facilities Improve Public Safety
Secure Community Reentry Facilities are key to achieving the rehabilitative goals laid out in AB 900, and once fully integrated into the prison system, are expected to:

• Increase ex-offenders success on parole;
  
• Reduce recidivism and re-victimization; and,
  
• Increase public safety throughout California.

Reentry Designs Facilitate Transition

Interior Design Facilitates Transition  
There are some basic principles incorporated into the interior design of reentry facilities that will help inmates transition.  The architecture provides a therapeutic environment that facilitates effective rehabilitation and treatment through intensive programs.  There are phased housing environments that transition offenders from an institutional setting to the community.  The architectural designs are podular to allow flexibility in locating functions based on unique needs.  They are also designed to help to transition inmates from:

• Celled housing units, to;
  
• Quad housing units, to;
  
• Apartment-like transitional housing structures.

Each transitional step increases an inmates’ skills, responsibilities and outcomes. This type of transition through phases is critical to final transition into the community.

 

Conceptual Designs Adapt to Local Communities

Everything from the outside façade of a Secure Community Reentry Facility to the interior design and the intensive focus on rehabilitative programs is unique compared to a traditional prison.  Prototypes have been developed in coordination with a cutting-edge design firm. Conceptual designs will help facilitate dialogues with communities about their unique needs. For instance:

Unobtrusive secure design: 
The architectural designs are completely unobtrusive, and are void of towers or barbed wire fences.  The building envelope serves as the secure perimeter, and conceptual design renderings have been developed to be compatible and mirror surrounding buildings and styles.

Facilities Adapt to Surroundings:
Multiple architectural models are available that are designed to harmonize with the existing community and can be adapted based on existing site constraints.

Sized for All Settings: 
There are also low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise models based on the site parameters in local communities.  Each is approximately 280,000-300,000 square feet.

• The high-rise model is meant to be sited in an area with a constrained amount of land, and can be sited on 3-5 acres with off-site parking.
  
• The mid-rise model would require between 8-12 acres with on site parking.
  
• The low-rise model has 12-15 acres, with on site parking.

 

 

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