An Intersectional Focus Group Study of Participants in Jail-To-Community Reentry Program Who Did Not Complete the Program

• In Event: The Many Experiences and Consequences of Incarceration

Abstract

In 2008 Denver adopted the Transition from Jail to Community initiative co-developed by The National Institute of Corrections and Urban Institute to coordinate collaborative reentry relationships between jails and communities, given that most reentry programs focus on prisons. The goals of the resulting Denver Community Reentry Project (DCRP) are to enhance public safety, reduce recidivism, and improve reintegration outcomes. While recidivism rates are very promising for DCRP clients who complete their participation, it is unknown and troubling why white men are significantly more likely to complete the program than women (regardless of race/ethnicity) and of men of color. This is particularly concerning given the over-representation of people of color in the criminal legal system and women’s unprecedented incarceration growth from the 1980s (until recently). To address this phenomenon, 5 focus groups with men of color and 3 with women (of varying races/ethnicities) who started but did not complete the DCRP program were asked about their reentry challenges and successes, why they did not complete DCRP, and what would have helped them do so.

Authors

• Lisa Calderon, Community Reentry Project

• May Mgbolu, Community Reentry Project

• Joanne Belknap, University of Colorado Boulder