The National Incarceration Association Restorative Justice Connector Program

The NIA’s Restart Connector Program will integrate an otherwise disconnected community of service providers and stakeholders to create expedited, long-term interventions for formerly incarcerated individuals in Georgia. This unique model will serve as a comprehensive “one stop” resource delivery station for both physical and virtual service coordination that are strategically connected to the centralized network. 

The NIA will integrate a minimum of 180 parolees (60-80 per cohort) over the course of 36 months into our central reentry program, providing reentry services to incarcerated individuals ages 17 or older that are 30-180 days pre-release in four correctional institutions in Georgia, including Wheeler Correctional Facility, Coffee Correctional Facility, Jenkins Correctional Center, and Augusta Transitional Center. Starting in November 2023, we are also working with the Fulton County (GA) Sheriff’s Office to receive part of the cohort from the Fulton County jail, Georgia’s largest jail. The Restart Connector will be a hybrid program model of both physical and virtual resource centers interconnected within an advanced network of human development, housing, substance use and mental health treatment, physical health and wellness, nutrition services, life skills, and workforce development. 

Through the successful development of the Restart Connector, the NIA expects to achieve the following outcomes: 85 percent of clients will complete three-year program supervision without re-incarceration; 70 percent of clients will maintain sobriety with adherence to treatment and support programs; 85 percent of clients will maintain stable housing throughout the duration of the program monitoring phases; 80 percent of clients will retain job placements with workforce development focus and/or career focus throughout the duration of the program monitoring phases; and 50% of clients will experience family reconciliation during the entire course of program implementation. 

The NIA Restart Connector will expedite resolutions and time-sensitive resources for 180 individuals leaving prison, identifying the root causes of their incarceration, working to reduce risk factors and triggers for recidivism, working with facility administration to ensure a seamless transition to community reentry services, and ensuring clients’ adherence to treatment programs inside and outside of facilities - all within a holistic, family-stabilizing framework. The NIA will help formerly incarcerated individuals gain and sustain successful reentry with financial independence, career growth and long-term health and stability.

(When I attached the updated project narrative and MOU with Fulton County Sheriff's Office, it asked me to choose a category - all financial related. This GAM is not about finances, but I had to choose a category in order for the system to accept the attachment, so I chose "Budget Other." But again, this GAM is not about the budget or financial matters.)