The OERC continues to promote the removing of barriers to successful offender reentry, and with that goal in mind, will continue to seek community partners that share those ideas. Please refer to our contact page for information about getting involved.
We are excited to share with you the long-awaited monograph of the Reentry Roundtable on Education convened on March 31 and April 1, 2008 at John Jay College of Criminal Justice by The Urban Institute and the College’s Prisoner Reentry Institute.
The report, "From the Classroom to the Community" Exploring the Role of Education during Incarceration and Reentry synthesizes and documents the timely opportunity with which we were provided to examine the current state of education during incarceration and reentry and identify promising programmatic and policy directions.
From the Classroom to the Community is the first resource to comprehensively address correctional education through the prisoner reentry lens. It includes:
- Recent statistics on the state of correctional education in the United States
- A summary of research findings on the effects education has on the incarceration and reentry experience
- A discussion on the various challenges and opportunities associated with providing education to this population, during and after incarceration.
Read the complete letter…
The Face of Reentry
At the request of the Ohio State Bar Foundation, DRC
has produced a compelling video entitled “The Face of
Reentry.”
This six minute video created by the Prison
News Network at Marion Correctional Institution brings
to light the myriad of challenges that offenders face as
they return home.
The fast-paced, high energy video is
packed with sobering facts about the nation’s incarcerated
population, as well as comments from national leaders
of the reentry movement.
The video is highlighted by
testimonials provided by returning citizens driving home
the message that successful reentry takes a community
effort. For a free copy of the video contact
Christopher.Yanai@odrc.state.oh.us.
Reentry Services Grant
"Action Sessions"
On June 3rd and June 23rd, the Office of Reentry Services sponsored grant writing “Action Sessions.” These sessions were conducted in partnership with the Office of Criminal Justice Services and with the assistance of the University of Cincinnati. The concept of these sessions was to invite local community partners and coalitions who are applying for Second Chance Act grants to very specific, active working sessions to assist in the writing of the grant applications for the purpose of strengthening the community applications for reentry funding. As teams, the community participants worked together to analyze their problem statements, needs, models and funding requests.
Click here to read the full story
Family Reentry Program (FAQs)
Question: If family involvement is an important piece of successful reentry, how does DRC assist offenders and families?
Answer: Currently there are seven grants available in DRC institutions that focus on the family, reentry of the offender, and breaking the cycle of children following in the footsteps of their parent by becoming incarcerated when they are older. The grants are funded with federal TANF money and are currently being researched through the University of Cincinnati.
To be eligible for these programs, the offender must have three to six months remaining on their his sentence and then must be willing to participate three to six months after they are released. There are several eligibility requirements such as no sex offenses, child endangering, etc. but we do consider domestic violence on a case by case basis. Once determined that an offender is eligible, the parenting partner is contacted to see if they are willing to participate. One must participate in the community and agree to participate in Strengthening Families in the institution to be considered a successful completion.
There are several perks to participating for the parenting partner, such as employment assistance and family case management. It is not uncommon for agencies to pay bills, provide food, clothing, shelter, furniture, and other referrals that the family needs to maintain while the offender is incarcerated.
Click here to read more.
