Philadelphia Consensus Group on Reentry and Reintegration

They're coming back, whether we like it or not. In a city of 1.5 million people, over 35,000 men, women and youth will go through the Philadelphia Prison System each year and return to their communities. If current trends continue, two-thirds, or almost 23,000 will be rearrested within three years, and over 14,000 will return to jail, having committed new crimes or parole violations. If recidivism rates were reduced by only 10%, Philadelphia would save over $6.8 million a year in jail costs alone. In the community, the loss of security and the fear that one could be a victim of crime has a debilitating effect on the quality of life in our city. In addition, the high rate of recidivism speaks volumes about the reentry experience of men, women and youth who, after a period of incarceration, find little hope and even fewer resources to help them change their lives for the better.

In March 2002, a diverse group of public and private sector organizations, agencies and individuals met in Philadelphia to address this problem. The group, called the Philadelphia Consensus Group on Reentry & Reintegration of Adjudicated Offenders, was comprised of representatives from the courts and the prison system, the police department and attorneys from Community Legal Services, as well as service providers, and faith-based and community organizations that work in the Philadelphia jails and the community to meet the needs of returning offenders. Membership also included the unlikely pairing of the District Attorney's Office and the Defender's Association. That this group was able to meet at all was unusual. That they could find common ground on over forty findings and recommendations for improving the current system is unprecedented.

Outcomes

• On September 23, 2004, the Philadelphia City Council passed a resolution recognizing important work on reentry, naming the Philadelphia Consensus Group and calling for hearings on the issue.

• Philadelphia Ready4Work, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor and managed by Search for Common Ground, provided workforce development and supportive services for over 400 men and women returning to the Philadelphia area from jail and prison. Philadelphia's participation in the Ready4Work initiative enabled the Consensus Group to realize one of its key recommendations - that the criminal justice agencies in the City of Philadelphia coordinate in order to deliver services to ex-offenders in a more timely and effective fashion.

• The Philadelphia Consensus Group's Pre- and Post-Release Planning Subcommittee has completed work on a report recommending widespread reform of reentry planning in the Philadelphia Prison System.

Program Update: After three years in operation, the Philadelphia Ready4Work program closed its doors on August 31, 2006. Managed by Search for Common Ground staff in Philadelphia, the program served more than 400 men and women who returned to Philadelphia after periods of incarceration in county and state correctional facilities. The program, whose participants had a recidivism rate roughly 15% of the national average, was part of a U.S. Department of Labor demonstration project spearheaded by Public/Private Ventures, a social policy research organization based in Philadelphia PA.

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