Allegheny County Jail Collaborative Reentry Program
Program overview
Supporting successful reentry for formerly incarcerated individuals: Allegheny County Jail’s (ACJ) Reentry Program provides participants with a medium-to-high-risk of recidivism with support services both in jail and in the community. This approach aims to reduce recidivism by ensuring a stable environment for formerly incarcerated people upon reentry into society.
Support services divided into two phases: The reentry program consists of two phases, with the first lasting five months and the second running from 30-60 days before release to up to 12 months after release. Phase 1 includes a cognitive behavioral therapy course, as well as in-jail training and support. Phase 2 connects participants with support services within the community to help ease their reintegration.
Connecting inmates with the program and keeping participants engaged: Jail staff identify and refer inmates to the program if they meet the following criteria: must be serving a minimum sentence of six months in the ACJ, plan to live in the county upon release, and score as a medium-to-high-risk for reoffending. Most referred inmates choose to enroll. After enrollment, participants may choose to move to the Reentry Pod, a structured living environment within the jail designed to reinforce the program’s principles.
Intensive and individualized case management: To begin the program, each participant completes a risks/needs assessment, allowing program staff to accurately gauge the needs of each client. Then, each participant regularly meets with their assigned Reentry Specialist while in jail to go over their assessment and connect them with relevant support services in the community, ensuring every participant has a clearly outlined and realistic plan for reentry. Each participant also gains access to a Family Support Specialist, which reconnects the participant to family members and offers counseling services.
Extensive partnership network to offer comprehensive support: Through partnerships with government agencies and community-based organizations, the program offers participants literacy classes, substance abuse counseling, family support and parenting classes, housing support, mental health support, career readiness training programs, and more. Participants can access these services, when relevant, both while in jail and after release. These services are provided through partnerships with the Allegheny County’s Department of Human Services and Department of Health and numerous community-based organizations, especially focusing on health and education service providers.
- Strategies
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Transitional employment and re-entry support
A single study with a less rigorous design suggests that the program is a promising strategy for reducing recidivism among inmates at a medium-to-high-risk for reoffending.
- A 2014 program evaluation found that program participants were significantly less likely to recidivate compared to non-participants within Allegheny County Jail. The impact analysis found that participants in the program had a 10% probability of rearrest, while non-participants had a 34% probability, meaning the program reduced the probability of rearrest by 24 percentage points.
Prioritize individualized intervention: Each participant first took a detailed risks/needs assessment, allowing the Reentry team members to develop an individualized plan for each client. Since reentry is a unique experience for every formerly incarcerated individual, reentry programs should ensure participants’ specific needs (e.g. substance abuse counseling or transitional housing) can be identified and addressed.
Emphasize cognitive behavioral interventions: The program requires participants to take a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) course that teaches them the foundational skills for addressing distorted thinking, reactive decision making, and antisocial attitudes. CBT is widely recognized as an effective and essential component of recidivism reduction and should be included in any replication of the program.
Collaborate with a wide-range of community partners: The program is able to provide such a wide range of support services to its participants due to its numerous partnerships with CBOs and local government agencies. Robust networks of support allow for more successful reentry. When designing a similar program, organizers should partner with various health, education, housing, and counseling services to ensure participants have access to a wide-range of community support pre- and post-release.
Provide family support: The family support component is essential to Reentry1, which helps reconnect participants to loved ones and build crucial relationships. Those interested in replicating the program should ensure family support specialists remain a component of the program, as stable relationships are critical in reducing recidivism.