Collaboration and Local Efforts To Implement An Evidenced-Based Reentry Program

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8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

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Faced with jail crowding and having to refer inmates to near-by counties at a high cost, Lycoming County adopted a more flexible approach for managing inmates, probationers, and pretrial defendants. In 2014, the county implemented community reentry and supervision programs to support the probation department and lessen crowding at the jail. The new programs included an electronic monitoring program to enhance community supervision for officers as well as a reentry service center, which delivers evidence-based treatment and reintegration services for about 80 individuals at a time. Since opening, the reentry center has reduced jail crowding by 11%, lowered risk assessment scores and rearrests dramatically, cut transfers to nearby jails to just a few each month, and boosted employment for participants. The successful outcomes have been supported by close collaboration between the judiciary, probation, and law enforcement officials. This panel workshop will highlight the challenges, decisions, and implementation process for developing this rounded approach to reentry integration.