Reentry refers to the experience of those who have been released from prison after having completed their sentence, as well as those who are released to parole.  Probation is a period of supervision that occurs after detention (in jail), or as an alternative to incarceration.  A criminal record can have similar adverse consequences for those who have been released, those on parole, and those on probation.

Reentry challenges many aspects of daily living in a way that goes beyond knowing where to start; it extends to having the capacity (and/or support) to navigate and sustain effort in the face of significant obstacles.

For a current snapshot of how re-entry impacts education, employment, family, and homelessness see this page from the Fortune Society website.  An in-depth assessment was done in 2006 by the Urban Institute; this report highlights  highlighting  briefly describes the impacts related to .  For a more detailed report, see this 2006 (and still current) report “Understanding the Challenges of Prison Reentry: Research Findings from the Urban Institute’s Prison Reentry Portfolio.”  An up-to-date research round-up of articles that address “What makes people more or less likely to succeed upon release?” is maintained by the Prison Policy Institute.

For an overview of legal barriers facing those with criminal records, see “Collateral Consequences of Conviction: A Reminder of Some Possible Civil Penalties” (2011; NYS-specific) and “After Prison: Roadblocks to Re-Entry” (2009, Legal Action Center; offers state-by-state assessments).

Additional materials:

Life on Parole (57min), July 2017 Frontline investigative report on an effort in Connecticut to change the way parole works and reduce the number of people returning to prison.  The film follows four former prisoners as they navigate the challenges of their first year on parole. Transcript.