This initiative partners the Mayor's Office on Criminal Justice (MOCJ) with the Maryland Division of Correction, the Enterprise Foundation, the Maryland Division of Parole & Probation, the Baltimore Police Department, the Empower Baltimore Management Corporation, the Baltimore City Health Department, the Druid Heights Community Development Corporation, the Vision for Health Consortium, and the Historic East Baltimore Community Action Coalition. Since May 1999, these agencies have been collaborating to develop a pilot program that provides a seamless, comprehensive network of services to these re-entering ex-offenders to ensure a successful transition from prison to community. This network has been developed to reduce both recidivism and crime, and improve the quality of life in Baltimore City.
Services offered to offenders during incarceration have been expanded and a community-based case management model has been implemented to complement services provided during incarceration and develop support systems in the target areas to assist ex-offenders. The pilot program currently offers services to men returning to three targeted zip codes in Baltimore City - 21213, 21216, and 21217. These areas include Druid Heights, Sandtown-Winchester, and East Baltimore.
In order to achieve the two primary goals, to reduce recidivism and restore productive citizens from prison to their communities, the initiative requires partners to create inter-agency systems to address the needs of ex-offenders. The Re-Entry Partnership provides an integrated service system to help prepare inmates for successful transition from prison to the communities. Partners work with private, non-profit, and other governmental agencies to maximize the effectiveness of key service providers and cooperatively develop a comprehensive plan that supports offender's post incarceration needs including coping and decision-making skills, and effective use of a variety of State, local and community-based social and medical services.