WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/– The National Federation of Federal Employees (NFFE), a labor union representing government workers across the country, and GEO Group (GEO), a leading private-sector provider of enhanced in-custody rehabilitation and post-release support services, today announced Reentry Success DC, a partnership that assists returning DC offenders by providing skills while in custody and support following release, to include job placement.
First piloted in 2018, Reentry Success DC equips Washington DC inmates at the Rivers Correctional Institution with the training, skills, and support they need to be productive members of society after having completed their sentence. The collaboration between GEO and NFFE, alongside government agencies and non-profit community organizations, enhances existing pre- and post-release services by connecting returning citizens to gainful employment.
GEO’s Continuum of Care (CoC) rehabilitation and reentry programming is offered to all in-custody offenders, providing academic, vocational and cognitive behavioral programming, as well as personalized case management. Following release, CoC provides tailored post-release support services, ranging from housing, transportation, and other needs, including the Reentry Success DC employment services.
As part of the program, case managers help participants assemble the proper paperwork to receive benefits, educate and enroll participants in existing DC employment programs, and provide training to those interested and qualified, in order to place participants in high-paying, skilled jobs.
“This is the closest partnership that we’ve experienced, and more intricate. It’s unique and works to accomplish something that’s really important, so it’s special to us,” said Randy Erwin, NFFE National President.
The program has helped more than 250 participants returning to DC, and is proving successful in combatting recidivism. Since 2018, the rate of participants from Rivers returning to federal custody was just 2 percent during their first year following release. By comparison, a study from the United States Sentencing Commission noted that 16.6 percent of offenders are re-arrested within the first year of release.
“In my 30 years in corrections, this is probably the most dynamic program that I’ve ever seen,” said Brick Tripp, Rivers Correctional Institution Facility Administrator for GEO Group. “I believe one of the successes of the Continuum of Care program actually occurs upon release from Rivers because we partner with the National Federation of Federal Employees plus government agencies like CSOSA and MORCA and community non-profits. Together we provide the final piece to the equation, which are job opportunities to citizens returning to DC.”
Criminal justice reform is a bipartisan issue, with the 2018 First Step Act receiving broad bipartisan approval. Reentry Success DC is unique in that it brings together a private company, government agencies, and community non-profits, in collaboration with NFFE to solve pressing criminal justice challenges. NFFE is an affiliate with the Machinists Union (IAMAW), AFL-CIO. The goal is for the partnership to serve as a model for programs across the country.
For more information about Reentry Success DC, visit www.reentrysuccessdc.com.