NCJ Number
207536
Date Published
March 2003
Length
77 pages
Annotation
This report describes the process of prisoner reentry in the State of Maryland.
Abstract
Rising incarceration rates in Maryland and across the Nation, have prompted more attention to the problem of prisoner reentry, which is defined as “the process of leaving prison and returning to society.” The current report describes the process of prisoner reentry in Maryland through an exploration of Maryland’s policies and practices regarding reentry, the characteristics of released offenders, the geographic distribution of released prisoners, and the social and economic influences within the communities that are home to the highest concentration of released prisoners. Following the introduction, chapter 1 describes the policy context regarding prisoner reentry in Maryland, exploring recent and historical trends in sentencing and corrections practices. Chapter 2 explores how prisoners are released in Maryland and indicates that most prisoners are released through nondiscretionary methods rather than through parole board decisions. Chapter 3 discusses post-release supervision in Maryland, while chapter 4 describes the 2001 release cohort in Maryland, including their demographics, reason for incarceration, criminal histories, and conditions of release. Chapter 5 examines how the State of Maryland prepares prisoners for reentry, indicating that only 17 percent of inmates were involved in educational or vocational programming at any one time. Chapter 6 offers an account of where Maryland’s released prisoners are going upon their release, indicating that the majority of prisoners released from prison return to one jurisdiction in the State: Baltimore City. Chapter 7 specifically explores prisoner release in Baltimore City, including an analysis of the six Baltimore communities most offenders return to upon their release. Finally, chapter 8 presents the key findings of the report and explores additional questions in terms of reentry in the State of Maryland. Future research directions include an examination of the indicators predicting reentry success versus failure. Figures, appendix