Overview
Reentry planning begins when someone is committed. Within 6 months of release, planning intensifies. Through cooperation from the incarcerated individual and collaboration with the Institutional Reentry Committee, we identify the specific reentry needs of each person in our custody and address them. Some of the areas covered are:
- Housing
- Continuity of care for medical, mental health, and substance abuse treatment (including making appointments)
- Health insurance
- Employment (resumes and One Stop Career Center info)
- Benefits (info about obtaining food stamps, Social Security and Disability, veteran services)
- Probation and parole coordination
- Victim and public safety notifications
- Obtaining identity documents
- Linkages to community resources
- Referrals to Community Partners
- Oversite of an After Incarceration Support Center
Housing
We have created a database of housing options for those releasing from our custody at risk for homelessness. Each prison uses a Reentry Specialist to access residential programs, shelters, and sober houses as options to consider while working on reentry plans.
Health insurance and medical care
Our department partners with MassHealth to provide health insurance to those releasing from our custody. This trailblazing program has been nationally recognized as a model for other states to replicate. This partnership allows community access upon release to:
- Medical services
- Mental health services
- Substance use treatment
Identity documents
We encourage those in our custody to obtain vital identity documents. We help them obtain:
- Birth certificate
- DD-214 (when applicable)
- Driver's license or state issued ID
- Social security card
Linkages to Community Resources
Through Reentry Orientation Presentations and Institutional Reentry Committee collaboration, those in our custody have the opportunity to create linkages to community resources prior to release. Some of these resources are:
- Behavioral Health Justice Involved (BHJI)
- Veterans Affairs (VA)
- Disabled American Veterans Services (DAV)
- Department of Public Health (DPH)
- Department of Mental Health (DMH)
- Roca, Inc.
- SPAN
- THRIVE
- UTEC
School of Reentry
The School of Reentry at the Boston Pre-Release Center is a pilot program open to those in minimum security. While serving the end of their sentences, they can take part in programs to develop their:
- Educational skills
- Professional skills
- Critical reasoning skills
Additional Resources
Contact for Reentry Planning
Phone
Open M-F 8:45 a.m.–5 p.m.
Open M-F 8:45am-5pm.