Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative - Wayne County

The Prisoner Reentry Initiative (PRI) is designed to provide funding to state units of government to develop and implement institutional and community corrections-based offender reentry programs. The PRI strengthens urban communities characterized by large numbers of returning offenders. The PRI is designed to reduce recidivism by helping returning offenders find work and assess other critical services in their communities. The PRI supports strategies to deliver pre- and post-release assessments and services, and to develop transition plans in collaboration with other justice and community-based agencies and providers for supervised and non-supervised offenders.

The Michigan Department of Corrections will use its award to support the Wayne County Michigan Prisoner Reentry Initiative (MPRI), a collaboration between local communities and state government. The Wayne County MPRI activities will include prisoner assessment and planning, pre-release services, prison in-reach and transition planning, and post-release services and supervision.

In the correctional facilities, participants will receive services such as substance abuse counseling and other necessary financial, social, and community skills. In addition, Employment Readiness Specialists will work with the participants to provide programming in conjunction with prison staff to address prisoners' employment needs and issues as they prepare for release to parole.

Post-release services include housing assistance and mentoring. Parolees will be placed voluntarily into a structured, subsidized part-time employment program or a traditional employment-seeking and placement program.

CA/NCF