Source: (2002) Reentry Partnership Initiatives (RPI) series. College Park, MD: Bureau of Governmental Research, University of Maryland, College Park. Downloaded 28 May 2004.
Program developers must target the needs of the offender that are unmet in the current reentry policies and procedures, and decide how to programmatically address these issues. As part of the RPI process evaluation, the researchers conducted six focus groups in various sites with offenders in various stages of the structured reentry phases. The focus groups were designed to learn more about the offenders and their experience in transitioning back into the community. The focus groups observed a full range of offenders involved in the reentry process from eight RPI sites. Their mission was to begin framing issues about the reentry processes and the needs of the offenders. The following is a summary of the focus groups with attention to four major issues: 1) theoretical considerations of the transitions from prison to community, 2) offender stabilization and maintenance needs, 3) societal and institutional factors that affect reintegration, and 4) impact on RPI offender processing issues. Essentially, this paper is designed to begin exploring the issues identified in the focus groups and the implications for reentry practice. More work in this area is needed. (excerpt)
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