READI for Reentry. This is a program that will deliver pre- and post-release services to men returning from prison to Chicago who are at the highest risk for gun violence involvement.

For 132 years, Heartland Alliance (HA) has advanced human rights and responded to the human needs of marginalized populations through programs and services that annually help more than 400,000 people exit poverty, heal from trauma, and achieve stability. READI for Reentry (R4R) is HA’s 12-month pre- and post-release prison re-entry program, currently under development in conjunction with the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC). R4R incorporates learning and resources from HA’s READI Chicago, an anti-violence program for men at high risk of gun violence involvement.  HA’s R4R will fill the gap in pre-release programming between IDOC and Chicago; remove barriers to crucial resources following incarceration or victimization; help to rebuild lives; and invest in work to make participants and communities safer and free of violence. The service area is the City of Chicago, with anticipated service concentration in four receiving communities. R4R will serve 115 men who are 6-months from their release date and returning to Chicago. Participants will be men who are at high risk for gun violence involvement (the majority will be 18-34, with preference for emerging adults). IDOC will facilitate R4R access to facilities, participants, staff, and data; and collaborate to develop and implement the model. HA’s R4R will deliver the program model, comprised primarily of three interventions: behavioral health impact, career pathway development, and transition planning. Each participant will receive six months of pre-release programming at IDOC’s Danville Correctional Center; and six months of post-release programming, offered in the community. Deliverables include 12 months of cognitive-behavior interventions, specifically designed to reduce recidivism; 12 months of individualized employment support and workplace readiness training; and transition planning or re-entry case management to meet immediate and long-term re-entry needs through criminogenic, professional, and personal assessments, case plans, and goal setting. Other deliverables include healing-centered activities, virtual learning modules, peer support, and positive family engagement.  An evaluation will assess program effectiveness, growth, and modification.