Project Reentry Receives National Recognition

Police Department June 27, 2006
Contact: Det. John Leone, 773-7827   
Rebecca Sauter, 748-4666 

Project Reentry, an initiative of the Northwest Piedmont Council of Governments in cooperation with the Winston-Salem Police Department and the N.C. Department of Correction, has been nationally recognized for its work in helping released prisoners re-enter society.

The program was one of 15 in the United States cited as a best practice in a report compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Urban Institute titled “Prisoner Reentry and Community Policing: Strategies for Enhancing Public Safety.” It was completed in March 2006.

Project Reentry starts working with prisoners before they are released and then continues to work with them for up to a year after their release, said Rebecca Sauter, the program manager.

“We realized there was no connection from the inside to the outside to help their transition,” Sauter said. “They had no idea where to go, what to do, how to ask for services, how to get and keep a job in today’s economy. So we were able to partner with the Department of Correction and go into the prison facility and conduct workshops to prepare them before they get out.”

Prisoners must volunteer to participate in Project Reentry. Those who volunteer receive 12 weeks of classes before their release on such topics as motivation and self esteem, overcoming barriers to employment, vocational and educational opportunities, health, and relapse prevention.

Follow-up services begin immediately upon release. Within 24 hours of being released, the ex-offender meets with a case worker to review their individual re-entry plan and to give the newly released prisoners a sense of structure and support. Action plans are tailored to the needs of each ex-prisoner and may include employment training, skills classes, counseling and personal assistance.

Follow-up support lasts 8 to 12 months. However, said Detective John Leone of the Winston-Salem Police Department, the first 72 hours after release are the most critical. “We find out ahead of time what services they are going to need so they get off to a good start right away in getting the help they need.”

Nationally, 67 percent of released prisoners will return to prison for new crimes or for violating the terms of their release. Locally, Leone said, that rate is about 40 percent.
Project Reentry started in 2003 with a two-year grant from the Governor’s Crime Commission. It is now supported by the Winston-Salem Foundation, the Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust and the city of Winston-Salem. Legislation has been introduced in the General Assembly to provide state support for the program.

More than 10 other agencies are partners in the program, including Goodwill Industries of Northwest North Carolina, Forsyth Technical Community College, the YWCA of Winston-Salem, the Winston-Salem State University Center for Community Safety, and the Forsyth County Day Reporting Center.

In addition to being lauded by the Justice Department, Project Reentry was selected as one of three exemplary prisoner re-entry programs in the nation by the American Correctional Association.

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