Jail to Peer Support: An Expansion of the Resilience and Recovery Project

Community members experiencing jail and reentry to the community from jail face many challenges when returning home to Jackson County. It is one of the counties in Oregon with a higher-than-average crime rate and recidivism rate. Unlike more populous counties, for those returning to Jackson County there are no reentry-focused programs. Additionally, there are significant barriers to accessing, engaging with, and responding to interventions found to effectively reduce recidivism and increase the chances of safe, successful community reintegration. The proposed project will implement peer-led, holistic reentry services and supports for those releasing from jail by expanding supports, enhancing innovative pathways for successful reintegration, promoting successful completion of community supervision or legal requirements, and encouraging long-term behavior change and recovery. 

Pathfinders of Oregon (DBA the Pathfinder Network) with county (Jackson County Community Justice, Jackson County Jail, Jackson County Health and Human Services) and local community based partners proposes “Jail to Peer Support: An Expansion of the Recovery and Resilience Project” to expand upon the successes of The Pathfinder Network and Jackson County Community Justice’s current Peer Support programming for those who are on supervision to Jackson County Community Justice and further our commitment to comprehensive, peer-led reentry support. 

The Pathfinder Network will serve 150 incarcerated individuals who are primarily moderate/medium and above risk (per the LS/CMI or WRNA) and releasing from jail to community in Jackson County. This program will be staffed by Peer Support Specialists with lived experience trained in the Creating Regulation and Resilience trauma- and resiliency-informed communication model. Over the three-year grant period, participants will receive services and support before release and continue in the community after release. Pre-release services prior to release include reach-ins that incorporate resilience and recovery capital assessment and action planning, with wraparound support including service and resource navigation; gender- and trauma-responsive, cognitive-behavioral interventions, workshops, and support groups; community events, and basic needs assistance and behavioral incentives post-release for at least 90 days. The services will be supported by a continuum of services provided by other community-based organizations, including our treatment partners. This reentry model supports, enhances, and brings additional interventions and targeted dosage to the existing reentry process. The proposed program will be evaluated using aggregate impact and process evaluation to determine its effectiveness, conducted by Dr. Christopher Campbell from Portland State University.