Governor Cooper Announces Release of Historic, Whole-of Government Reentry Strategic Plan

Today, Governor Cooper announced the release of the Reentry 2030 Strategic Plan, approved last week by the Governor's Joint Reentry Council. The Joint Reentry Council was established in January by Governor Cooper's Executive Order No. 303, which directed whole-of-government coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated people and issued specific directives developed in partnership with each cabinet agency, the Office of State Human Resources and the Post-Release Supervision and Parole Commission. The Reentry Strategic Plan contains 26 objectives, which are bold, measurable goals to dramatically improve reentry, rehabilitation, and educational services. The Plan also contains 133 strategies, which are commitments by state agencies and other organizations to take specific actions to reach the objectives. The Plan also contains performance metrics, which will help North Carolina track progress towards the goals.

Since Governor Cooper signed Executive Order 303, state agencies have taken multiple actions to improve reentry. State accomplishments since January include the announcement of fourteen new local reentry councils to provide coordinated services to people reentering their communities from prison, the launch of a Commercial Driver's License program for incarcerated people, and an investment in a transitional work program to place formerly incarcerated people on road work crews to gain experience and skills leading to gainful employment.

Last Wednesday, the Governor addressed the Joint Reentry Council to thank them for their historic work and commitment to improving reentry services.

"This plan lays out our roadmap to help transform the lives of people leaving prison and reentering society while making our communities safe," said Governor Cooper. "Committing to rehabilitation and education in and out of our prisons is both the right thing and the smart thing to do to strengthen our economy, reduce recidivism and give people the second chance they deserve."

"The NC Department of Adult Correction's mission is to protect the public by collaboratively focusing on rehabilitation, protection, innovation, accountability, and professionalism," said Department of Adult Correction Secretary Todd Ishee. "The Reentry Strategic Plan embodies our belief that successful reentry begins on day one of our custody of a person."

"North Carolina was one of the first states to join Reentry 2030, a national initiative that aims to dramatically improve reentry success for people exiting prison and those under supervision," said Megan Quattlebaum, director of the CSG Justice Center. "We commend Governor Cooper and Secretary Ishee for this plan - it's a bold, collaborative, cross sector approach, and an example we hope leaders across the country will draw from."

Since the signing of Executive Order 303, state agencies immediately began acting to improve reentry. The Strategic Plan highlights several accomplishments since January, including:

• The North Carolina Department of Commerce awarded grants totaling $750,000 to three local Workforce Development Boards to support the creation of three new local reentry councils to provide coordinated services to people reentering their communities after incarceration.
• The North Carolina Department of Adult Correction (DAC) launched a program in partnership with the TransTech Driving School to train incarcerated people and provide them with a Commercial Driver's License (CDL).
• The Post Release Supervision & Parole Commission created a reentry analyst position to support incarcerated people who are participating in a Mutual Agreement Parole Program (MAPP), reentrants granted parole from the Commission, and reentrants on post-release supervision.
• DAC has designated seven additional facilities for reentry including the first Close Custody Institution. This will increase the total number of facilities designated for reentry to 21.
• The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services has awarded funding to communities for services including $5.5 million to expand NC-FIT (North Carolina Formerly Incarcerated Transitions), a program that offers psychiatric and physical healthcare services along with community supports such as housing, transportation, and phones for reentrants who have Serious Mental Illnesses.
• NC Medicaid granted DAC access to the Medicaid provider portal, NCTracks. This will help DAC track Medicaid applications.

Read North Carolina's Reentry 2030 Strategic Plan.

Read Governor Cooper's Executive Order No. 303.

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