The Reentry Policy Council underscores the importance of this cross-system collaboration by bringing together leaders from across the country who are working in all of the different systems that must be a party of a reentry initiative in any jurisdiction. The Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council draws on the experiences of the various initiatives underway across the country, bringing together in one document a description of those measures that stakeholders must consider to improve the transition of people from prison or jail to the community.

At the same time, this report's comprehensiveness and scale can be somewhat overwhelming. Understanding the nature of the problem, its origins, and its implications-in addition to knowing how to use the Report itself-should precede any attempt to implement recommendations provided in subsequent pages. Accordingly, the remainder of this introduction is essential reading for anyone committed to maximizing the value of this document.

The Report provides dozens of policy statements. Each should be a key element of any reentry-related effort in a jurisdiction. State and local government officials should use these policy statements in two ways, considering them both separately and together.

Taken individually, each policy statement is a principle, and it presents an opportunity for a policymaker or practitioner to direct his or her attention toward a particular aspect of reentry. The scope of the reentry issue is enormous; determining where and how to begin addressing the problem can be paralyzing. On the other hand, embracing all of the policy statements and attempting to implement them at once will almost certainly overwhelm any community. For policymakers confronted with this dilemma, the policy statements are an extraordinary tool: each presents a targeted goal, providing policymakers and practitioners with a number of recommendations about how best to focus their initial efforts.

Taken collectively, the policy statements represent a comprehensive vision for the safe and successful transition of a person from prison or jail to the community. Reading the entire document will help anyone concentrating on one particular aspect of reentry to understand the entire set of activities that reentry contemplates. Reviewing all of the policy statements also helps policymakers and practitioners appreciate how interdependent these goals are. For example, successfully linking an ex-offender to employment is nearly impossible if he or she is chemically dependent and not engaged in treatment. Engaging someone in treatment is especially hard if he or she does not have a place to live. Motivating someone to get a job, stay clean, and find a safe place to live is nearly impossible if that person does not have a relationship with someone that gives him or her a personal sense of purpose. In sum, the policy statements together provide a context for any focused reentry initiative.

Each policy statement is followed by a description of the problem it addresses, presented as a review of the key research available on that issue. The recommendations, which appear as lettered statements in bold text, highlight the steps that should be taken to implement the corresponding policy. Woven into the discussion of each recommendation are examples of programs, policies, or elements of state statutes that illustrate a jurisdiction's attempt to implement a particular policy. By highlighting certain approaches, however, the Report is not promoting them as "best practices." The program examples are simply efforts that involve partnerships, resourcefulness, or even longtime practices for other communities to consider.

What works in one community may not be a perfect fit for its neighbor, let alone for a community halfway across the continent. Indeed, this report emphasizes that each community must finds its own solutions to these complex and interrelated problems. The practices and approaches chosen for examples in this report are themselves continuing to evolve and adapt to changing community conditions.

The policy statements are divided into three parts. Part I, "Planning a Re-Entry Initiative," reviews the steps that a policymaker or practitioner, at the federal, state, or local level, will need to execute to ensure a solid foundation exists from which to build a program, policy, or practice that will improve the likelihood of an individual's successful transition from prison to the community. This part consists of two chapters. The first, "Getting Started," explains the stakeholders and information gathering that form the basis for any reentry initiative. The second, "Addressing Core Challenges," details key issues which underlie all aspects of a reentry effort, including redefining missions, funding, systems integration, performance measurement, and public information.

Part II of the Report of the Re-Entry Policy Council, "Review of the Re-Entry Process: From Admission to the Institution to Return to the Community," addresses the development of reentry policies and programs in a particular jurisdiction. The part is organized into chapters that delineate the sequence of events that should take place from the moment a person is admitted to a correctional facility after sentencing to the time the he or she has successfully completed his or her sentence in the community.

Recognizing that policy statements and recommendations in preceding sections of the Report are predicated upon the availability of accessible and effective services and supports, Part III, "Elements of Effective Social Systems," explains what improvements must occur within systems that provide housing, workforce development, substance abuse treatment, mental health services, children and family supports, and health care to needy communities.

The Reentry Policy Council's recommendations address people who have been sentenced to prison or jail. The target population includes people who have been convicted of misdemeanors and/or felonies, but excludes the relatively small number of individuals whose sentences do not provide for the possibility of release. The age category of the target population is adults, with one exception: juveniles who have been sentenced as adults. The recommendations suggest elements of policies, programs, or legislation that address offenders after they have been sentenced. In short, the target population comprises nearly every person sentenced to jail or prison, as 97 percent of the people in prison-and virtually all of those serving time in jails-will be released to the community at some point.[26]

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