Maine Street Reentry Initiative (MSRI)

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 Maine Department of Corrections will use its award to fund the Maine Street Reentry Initiative (MSRI), which will expand reentry services to women up to age 30, candidates for Supervised Community Confinement (SCC), and high-risk/high-needs males ages 18-30 transitioning from Maine's six adult state correctional facilities. In addition, the grant will enhance the Maine Reentry Network's multidisciplinary collaborative partnership and will strengthen Maine's involvement as a National Governors Association Prisoner Reentry Public Policy Academy site, a Council on State Government study site, National Institute of Corrections projects site, and two of the 16 Serious and Violent Offender Reentry National Evaluation sites.

The grant will focus on a two-pronged emphasis on direct reentry services and on infrastructure improvements with systemic and operational decisions being data-driven. Pre-release services will include cognitive behavioral programs, the two-year RULE sex offender treatment program with pre and post-treatment components and community follow up, trauma and appropriate boundaries work, education programs, and vocational training with employment links tied to Department of Labor data on high-demand, high growth industries paying livable wages and benefits. Transition services will offer individualized reentry plans that link each participant to the community system of care and natural support, including mentors. Post-release services and supervision will include individualized activities and services, based on the participant's unique risks and needs.

CA/NCF