New Haven Prison Reentry Program Wins Federal Dollars

Each week, about 25 people come to New Haven straight from prison,  100 or so people every month.  One of the first things they read is a guide that lists everything from housing options, to addiction services to employment programs.  Its one of the projects of the city’s Prison Reentry Initiative.  The idea is to offer individuals returning from prison the kind of assistance they need,  as soon as possible.  

 

Amy Meek is New Haven’s Reentry Coordinator. "What studies over and over have shown is that the first couple of weeks after someone’s released are just critical to get them hooked up programming and help them make positive choices. And if you don’t get to someone in those first couple of weeks, they’re much much more likely to recidivate."

 

Meek says investing in prison reentry programs makes economic sense. "With this trend toward mass incarceration nationally, this is really an issue that affects a huge percentage of people in New Haven. So the cost is much much less than the cost to society of reincarcerating these people." 

 

The Prison Reentry Initiative began in 2008.  Congress has awarded the program 500 hundred thousand dollars to continue for several more years.