Community Residents' Perceptions of Prisoner Reentry in Selected Cleveland Neighborhoods

• NCJ Number: 213606
• Author(s): Lisa E. Brooks; Christy A. Vishner; Rebecca L. Naser
• Date Published: March 2006
• Length: 28 pages
• Corporate Author: The Urban Institute
• Sale Source: The Urban Institute
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Downloaded March 28, 2006.

Annotation

This report presents findings from focus group discussions in three Cleveland (Ohio) neighborhoods that receive a large number of returning prisoners.

Abstract

Findings pertain to the transition process, preparation for reentry, family and community support, the impact of reentry on the community, neighborhood transition, community awareness, and residents' suggestions for removing barriers to reentry. Focus group members perceived that ex-prisoners' inability to obtain work and housing were key obstacles to successful reentry. Participants believed that many ex-prisoners lacked skills, education, and financial resources prior to incarceration, and most had few legal resources for financial independence after release. The focus groups identified family as the most important and reliable source of financial, housing, and social support for ex-prisoners immediately after release. This was perceived as a potential financial burden on ex-prisoners' families and a source of emotional stress that could undermine successful reentry. Community characteristics viewed as detrimental to successful reentry are the dissolution of the family unit, the erosion of community values, a failing economy, and the burgeoning drug trade. Focus groups gave top priority to ex-prisoner programs for legal employment, which would provide education, vocational training, job readiness training, and job placement. Other suggestions were earlier reentry planning in prisons, increasing collaboration between prison programs and community agencies, making program participation mandatory, providing economic incentives to employers to hire ex-prisoners, and involving families and community members in reentry programming. Six focus groups were conducted over a 1-week period in June 2005. They consisted of 10-14 members. The 6 groups included 50 women and 19 men; 94 percent were African-American; 3 percent were White; and 3 percent were Native-American. The median age for group members was 49, and all had at least a 10th-grade education. 4 tables and 4 references