Coordinating Community Development: The Heart of the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative

• NCJ Number: 219198
• Journal: Corrections Today Magazine Volume: 69 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 42-49
• Author(s): Dennis Schrantz
• Date Published: April 2007
• Length: 5 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Program Description (Model)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article describes the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative (MPRI), which was designed to promote public safety and increase the success rates of offenders transitioning back into the community.

Abstract

The MPRI model begins with a three-phase reentry approach (Getting Ready, Going Home, and Staying Home), delineates the transition process by adding seven decision points drawn from the National Institute of Corrections’ Transition from Prison to Community Initiative model, and incorporates the policies and recommendations of the Report of the ReEntry Policy Council. The MPRI was implemented during a 3-year period in which pilot-testing sites were executed statewide. By 2007, it is expected that 15 sites will be fully operational in jurisdictions covering the territories to which 85 percent of returning inmates reside. The pilot sites have been organized under three key groups of stakeholders: the Local Reentry Advisory Council, the Steering Team, and the Transition Team. The Local Reentry Advisory Council advises, informs, and supports the implementation process while the Steering Team develops, oversees, and monitors the local implementation process and coordinates local community involvement. The Transition Team supports offenders during the transition planning process through a case management approach. The success of the MPRI hinges on community organization and participation and therefore must enlist the (1) capacity; (2) commitment; (3) credibility; and (4) knowledge of the local community in helping inmates successfully transition back into their communities and families. The Community Coordinator position within the MPRI model is considered crucial for its success and, as such, the skills and responsibilities of the Community Coordinator are described, which generally focus on three main areas: (1) coordinating and communicating the evolving design of the MPRI so that it meets inmate needs; (2) facilitating and coordinating community assets; and (3) designing and implementing the MPRI at local pilot sites. Figures, endnotes