Association for Public Policy Analysis & Management

When people are released from prison or jail, they face a myriad of reentry challenges, including finding employment and housing, accessing treatment for substance abuse and/or mental health issues, and reunifying with their families. Specifically, people return from incarceration with limited resources, accumulated debt, weak employment histories, and no means of supporting themselves financially (McLean and Thompson 2007; Visher, Debus, and Yahner 2008; Visher, Yahner, and La Vigne 2010). For many of these people, their ability to achieve economic stability in the community is exacerbated by other reentry challenges they might face that may preclude or hinder their ability to find and maintain employment (La Vigne and Kachnowski 2005; La Vigne, Shollenberger, and Debus 2009; La Vigne, Visher, and Castro 2004; Visher and Courtney 2007; Visher et al. 2004, Visher, Yahner, and La Vigne 2010). Adding to the importance of achieving economic stability, the majority of people returning to their communities after incarceration have minor children and family members who rely on them financially and emotionally (Fontaine et al. 2015; Glaze and Maruschak 2008).

To assist fathers with overcoming these reentry challenges, reaching self-sufficiency, and supporting their families, the Office of Family Assistance (OFA) in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, funded six Community-Centered Responsible Fatherhood Ex-Prisoner Reentry Pilot Projects (“Fatherhood Reentry”) to provide soon-to-be and recently released fathers and their families a host of responsible parenting, healthy relationship, and economic stability services. As part of the economic stability component, the Fatherhood Reentry programs implemented a range of activities designed to help fathers improve their employability, increase their financial literacy, connect them to employment opportunities, and reduce their barriers to self-sufficiency. These services included workforce readiness and financial literacy classes, vocational training and certification programs, assistance with building and managing income and benefits, help with applying and preparing for employment, and providing workplace essentials such as clothing, identification, and transportation.

In partnership with OFA and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Urban conducted an implementation evaluation of the Fatherhood Reentry programs, collecting information through a review of program materials, bimonthly teleconferences with program staff, and semi-annual field visits to program locations to observe program activities, interview program staff and stakeholders, and facilitate focus groups with program participants. Urban documented the programs’ various approaches to implementing economic stability services and their successes and challenges in engaging participants in employment readiness activities.

Drawing on the findings from Urban’s Fatherhood Reentry evaluation and Urban’s larger portfolio of reentry research, this presentation will discuss a number of approaches to providing economic stability services to people in correctional facilities and in the community following their release. Synthesizing Urban’s research in this area, the presentation will highlight programs and interventions that provide and connect economic services pre- and post-release for justice-involved individuals. The presentation will also discuss various implementation lessons Urban has identified through its research that can inform the development and implementation of economic stability services in other facilities and communities.