The Department of Justice designated the week of April 23-30, 2017, as National Reentry Week. National Reentry Week, which held its inaugural event in 2016, is a week designed to highlight the advocacy for formerly incarcerated individuals as they successfully return to and contribute to their communities.
National Reentry Week also seeks to promote a reduction in recidivism through the elimination of barriers to successful reentry as formerly incarcerated individuals compete for jobs, attain stable housing, and seek support for their families.
Leading up to National Reentry Week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota participated in a Reentry Task Force meeting on April 11, 2017, in Rapid City. The Reentry Task Force is made up of local partners who gather to share and discover innovative methods to address the challenges and gaps in service that can impact the success of formerly incarcerated individuals.
Referencing the Federal Bureau of Prisons webpage, in 2016 alone, there were 396 former federal prisoners released back to their South Dakota community after spending time in federal custody. Statistically, 20% of all those released will return to prison within three years of their initial release. Given that, much work still needs to be done.
In addition, you can read about other reentry programs on the U.S. Attorney’s District of South Dakota webpage at https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
