Criminal Justice Policy Coalition
Post-Release Challenges
Post-Release Challenges, moderated by Dana Moulton of the Massachusetts Organization of Addiction Recovery, included panelists Francisca Fajana, an attorney with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute; Rebecca Lott of the Boston Police Department’s Re-entry Initiative of the Boston Police Department; Robert Pilsbury, a psychologist in private practice; and Ronald Owens, formerly incarcerated, of the Prisoners Re-entry Working Group.
The panelists agreed that government is not currently providing solutions to the many problems facing those leaving prison. In both finding housing and jobs, the government is a part of the problem. Access for CORI (Criminal Offender Record Information) for determining a possible criminal background for prospective employees is available to an increasing number of employers; often the CORI report is cluttered with non conviction information. Additionally, governments are increasing the limitations on public housing availability for those formerly incarcerated; lack of housing is a primary indicator of recidivism. Several main corrective actions flowing from these criticisms are:
 | Employers need to be taught how to read CORIs, as there is much irrelevant information included. |
| Successful models of re-entry, e.g. the Oxford Housing Model, a self-run community housing program for former alcoholics (www.oxfordhouse.org), are needed for legislative education so that government will help create available housing.. |
| Re-entry programs for the incarcerated must commence while the offenders are still imprisoned. |
| People recently released from prison rarely have the money necessary to secure an apartment; housing is vital to lowering recidivism. |
| Sex offenders face the same issues multiplied because of the stigma attached to that offense; like other former offenders, lack of housing and jobs will increase the likelihood of reoffense. |
Panelists and session members concurred that more cooperation among the private sector agencies that work with former offenders is needed. Several people noted that resources are available through the Internet, but those resources are not widely-known. Guides like the Coming Home resouce notebook (www.exoffenderresources.org) for the Boston area are needed for every area of the state.