Reentry Resources
Links to recorded webinars on topics related to the issue of ex-offender reentry.
As part of its partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service, NCPC is hosting a series of webinars about the issue of ex-offender reentry. The series has been targeted to sites participating in the Weed and Seed/AmeriCorps*VISTA Reentry Inititative. Recorded versions of these webinars can be accessed by clicking on the individual session titles below. To access recorded webinars, please follow these instructions:
Step 1: On the left side of your screen, click on the “play recording” button.
Step 2: Enter name and email if prompted.
Step 3: Enter password (listed below).
Step 4: Click the “play” button/arrow on the top left-hand side of the new window that opens up.
For these recorded sessions, you will get audio and visual content at the same time, although audio may be low.
Please be sure to check out the attachments for each webinar event. In addition to copies of the featured speaker’s presentations, they often include complimentary documents and follow-up material.
Ex-Offender Support Systems: Involving the Faith Community in Reentry Efforts
Rev. Warren Dolphus, president of National Alliance of Faith and Justice of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, discusses how to effectively partner with faith-based organizations that work with formerly incarcerated individuals. Rev. Dolphus focuses on various religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and other faiths. (Password: ncpcfbci)
Recruiting VISTA Members for Reentry Projects
Donna Palandro, AmeriCorps*VISTA Outreach Specialist, and Martha Fleming, CNCS State Program Specialist, discuss important topics on recruiting VISTAs, how best to utilize them to set up and administer reentry programs, and how VISTAs can recruit and manage additional volunteers. (Password: vista2)
Prisoner Reentry and the Challenge of Housing
Katherine Brown, Council of State Governments, and Julia Irving, East of the River Clergy-Police Community Partnership, discuss housing and prisoner reentry and how to engage corrections and housing constituencies in addressing obstacles and improving access to appropriate housing for people released from prison and jail. (Password: vista2)
Nancy LaVigne, Urban Institute, discusses the use of mapping to analyze crime and other community data to study reentry issues at a localized, neighborhood level. She also discusses how mapping can help determine how to best use police resources and community assets. (Password: attend)
Educating the Public About Reentry
Felix Mata, Baltimore City Ex-Offender Initiative, and Michelle Boykins, NCPC, address one of the core challenges of reentry: educating the public about the issue and the benefits of successful reentry initiatives for public safety and the community in general. (Password: attend)
Carolyn Harper, Public Private Ventures, and Roberta Meyers-Peeples, National H.I.R.E. Network, discuss how to improve employment opportunities for individuals returning home from prison. The discussion addresses ways to educate the business community about hiring this population and ways to better prepare ex-offenders for successful job placement. (Password: attend)
Reentry Funding
Melissa Bradley, Reentry Strategies Institute, and Sharon Rabb, Campaign Consultation, Inc., address the challenge of finding funding sources that could help support a reentry initiative. The discussion includes fundraising tips and how to approach potential funders. (Password: attend)
Dr. Erik Roskes, who has spent his career focusing on the needs of offenders with mental illness in a variety of settings, including jails, prisons, state psychiatric hospitals, and the community, leads a discussion that will focus on the many challenges facing mentally ill ex-offenders upon reentry and highlight model programs that offer treatment services. (Password: attend)
Gabrielle de la Gueronniere, Legal Action Center, and Carlette Duffy, MOVE, lead a discussion on the various legal barriers that make it difficult for returning ex-offenders to succeed in their reentry efforts. The discussion includes the latest legislative changes being made in various cities and states to facilitate reentry efforts. (Password: attend)
Chief Jim Bueermann leads a discussion on the role local police officers can have in reentry work. Learn more about partnerships between police and correctional agencies and between police and community groups working on reentry. (Password: attend)
Dr. Faye Taxman leads a discussion on the challenges substance abuse treatment poses for many criminal justice systems. This discussion highlights reentry programs that offer a continuum of treatment services and accountability programming, and successful partnerships in this area. (Password: attend)
