REENTRY & SOCIAL WORK SERVICES

Reentry Services begin for incarcerated individuals upon intake into the facilities. Reentry services are provided to incarcerated individuals in all facilities and all security levels. The Reentry Unit aims to pinpoint reentry plans within six months of release from the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) system.

The Reentry Unit collaborates with various DPSCS internal units to provide additional reentry support for soon to be released individuals. The Interdisciplinary team includes Case Management, Social Work, Substance Use Peer Recovery Team, Education, and the Medical and Mental Health contractor, which all serve the incarcerated population through a team approach for individual release plans.

Connecting individuals to community agencies is the Reentry unit's primary goal for seamless transition. Housing assistance, substance use treatment, medical and mental health services, mediation services, employment, education, transportation, as well as assisting in personal needs such as clothing and hygiene items all are part of initial reentry.

Reentry Specialists are the extension of case management to enhance the incarcerated individual's personal and professional development with a strong emphasis on the preparation for release. One on one reentry planning meetings are conducted within 180 days of the projected release date to ensure that the incarcerated individual receives the full spectrum of services for successful transition, and ultimately sustainability, within the community.

Reentry specialists utilize a standardized needs assessment that helps identify the individual needs and specific community resources to help serve each incarcerated individual as they transition back into the community. This assessment is completed by the incarcerated individual during the planning meeting to pinpoint resources such as vital documents, employment assistance, substance use treatment, mental health services, medical services, housing, transportation requiring referrals and/or community engagement with the incarcerated individual prior to release.

A comprehensive, individualized release plan, summarizes the transitional plan created by the incarcerated individual with the support of the reentry specialist and the entire interdisciplinary team. This reentry release plan is given to the incarcerated individual and is placed in their official Release Envelope which contains all important documentation and information given to all incarcerated individuals upon release.

Mission

Reentry Services Unit provides educational programming, treatment, and comprehensive pre-release planning for incarcerated individuals under the care, custody, and supervision of the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. This is accomplished by creating and providing effective individual release plans, implementing evidence-based programs, coordinating linkages to community-based services that address each individual's risks and unique needs by changing their horizon and creating opportunities for community engagement.

Vision

The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services Social Work and Reentry Services Unit shall be a leader in innovative best practices that shall increase public safety, reduce recidivism, and promote healthy communities through targeted treatment with comprehensive Reentry programming and services supported by collaborative interagency relationships and the expansion of community-based partnerships.

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SOCIAL WORK UNIT

The DPSCS Social Work Department provides comprehensive release planning services to the special needs population returning to the community, cognitive-behavioral group treatment to the entire incarcerated individual population, and short-term, solution-focused individual counseling services.

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REENTRY SERVICES UNIT

The Reentry and Transition Services Unit is responsible for the coordinated development and implementation of programs and services that will prepare incarcerated individuals for a successful return home after incarceration. This unit strategically identifies resources and services to eliminate barriers to the transition process and reentry into the community.

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RESOURCES

Click below to view the DPSCS interactive resource dashboard.

211 MD oversees a statewide network of call centers, providing essential connections to Marylanders when they need it most. Callers are automatically routed to their regional call center for assistance.

Community Engagement and Partnerships

Community Engagement and Outreach

As part of the Reentry Team, the Community Engagement and Outreach unit identifies community partners, evaluates their appropriateness then brings those resources to the facilities for reentry planning services. The outreach office educates and informs citizens, elected officials and other stakeholders about the DPSCS Reentry unit services and the impact the community has for post release services.

Partnerships are a crucial element of the Reentry Services Unit. Community and faith-based programs, social service providers, and local jurisdictions are being leveraged while aligning resources to serve returning citizens in a more integrated and effective fashion. As we continue partnerships with the Maryland Department of Labor by integrating the local public workforce system's services, DPSCS seeks to build a culture of stable employment through community partners as a cornerstone of successful reentry into the community. By increasing incarcerated individuals post-release employment success through connectivity to the local reentry navigators and local American Job Centers Department of Labor reentry navigators, and other employers not only will the incarcerated individuals and their families be served, but the community at large. Open to growing their workforce with those releasing to the community.

Social Work collaborates with the local Behavioral Health Authorities in each county and Baltimore City to better serve individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). This partnership allows for better connection to services that best meet the individual needs of each client. We have monthly re-entry-focused meetings with MDH and BHA to problem-solve challenging cases and share information. We also have a Memorandum of Understanding in place with the Social Security Administration and the Motor Vehicle Administration. The unit focuses on Maryland Justice Reinvestment Act requirements to facilitate returning citizens' social security card and birth certificate/ID before their release.

Community Reentry Resource Fair

The DPSCS Reentry Specialist Team routinely hosts regional community resource fairs within the institutions. Incarcerated individuals who are approximately 180 days prior to release are encouraged to attend. Special accommodations are made for incarcerated individuals who fall under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Community resource agency representatives come inside the facility, have an established table identifying their agency, provide educational materials and resources and are able to interact face to face with incarcerated individuals, allowing for an actual interaction prior to release. DPSCS strongly encourages community agency participation in the resource fairs as it is a great opportunity for the incarcerated individual to be actively involved in their release planning and develop a rapport with community agency representatives who connect with the individual once in the community.

TESTIMONIALS

"I think it is wonderful what is done here today to give incarcerated people a second chance at life choices and lessons." - Incarcerated individual at Dorsey Run Correctional Facility

"This was a good opportunity." - Incarcerated individual at Dorsey Run Correctional Facility

"Maybe have functions of this capacity more often." - Incarcerated individual at Dorsey Run Correctional Facility