Imagine you're learning to ride a bike for the first time; you've got your sneakers on, your feet are on the pedals and the thin black wheels start to move. You're not quite sure how to keep your balance, and without training wheels you will likely fall.

Learning how to ride a bike without that assistance isn't easy. And for offenders being released from the Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC), neither is reentering society.

“Historically, and Minnesota is very typical of most [corrections departments]; transition and reentry services were everyone's job – and then it became nobody's job,” says Tim Landz, the Reentry Coordinator for the Minnesota DOC. “Eventually, the concept got lost among a number of other priorities, like security. The DOC realized that if we were going to do a good job of transitioning, we needed to make it a theme that extended all the way through confinement for juveniles and adults.”

The DOC knew it needed to address the needs of both the adult and juvenile populations – and give them the support and tools they needed to return to their communities. For juveniles, the DOC decided to offers a special type of reentry programming, while adult offenders would benefit from such options as subsidized healthcare upon their release.

“Our basic goal is to put together a curriculum that will address the critical hurdles inmates would face as they exited,” says Landz. “We had to include issues like housing, health, reunification – all of the issues that hit offenders in the face the minute they walk out the door. This involves officials on all levels -- we just want to raise the level of awareness about these issues well in advance of their release for juveniles and adults alike.”

Juvenile Transition and Reentry

By approaching reentry in a holistic way throughout the DOC, Minnesota hopes to set a new pace for rehabilitation – starting with the youngest in the inmate population.

In the juvenile arena, officials are specifically addressing issues that are quite different from the adult population. At Minnesota's Red Wing facility, which houses young offenders, officials are focusing on 140 high-risk juveniles who have already had repeated encounters with the justice system.

“When you're preparing a juvenile to go back into the community, they don't have the life experience an adult does,” explains John Handy, Program Director at the Red Wing facility. “Many adults have adapted employment skills but have chosen not to use them; adults typically have networks to go back into – that's not necessarily true with the juveniles we work with.”

Once a juvenile enters Red Wing, they are assessed for any issues that might be pertinent to their rehabilitation. Using the Youth Level of Service Inventory, a version of a popular assessment model used in adult facilities, officials have a better idea of what needs each young offender has. Ranging from substance abuse to therapy, each youth is profiled for any possible barriers to their successful reentry from the beginning of their incarceration.

“We do a plethora of things,” says Kyiunga Olson, Supervisor of Transition Unit at the Red Wing facility. “We have our own high school at the facility, so these kids either have their GED or will receive their diploma by the time they are released. We also specialize in a community-based entry model; we bring the community to the facility. We also have mentors and community service providers that help both the juveniles and their families. Once juveniles enter the community, these mentors are already there and have established relationships.”

By placing an emphasis on education, officials hope to better prepare the youth to become successful adults after release. During their last days of incarceration, juveniles go through an intensive treatment program that places emphasis on their individual needs – while some juveniles might spend time focusing on substance abuse issues, other youths will spend time in family therapy. Olson says this pre-release phase of reentry programming is a crucial part of preparing youths to return to their communities.

Once the youths are released, case workers are available to ensure a smooth transition back to the community. For 90 days post-release, the case workers help each juvenile remain on the right track by meeting with them once a week. Community agencies and treatment programs also remain in contact with the offender during the release process.

“We're in the schools, we're in the homes,” says Olson. “We meet with the teachers and counselors, the families and the mentors. There is a lot of communication between all of the stakeholders, so to speak. We just want to ensure these juveniles get all the support and resources that they need. We also make curfew calls, and check in with probation officers as well. We try to be very thorough.”

Red Wing officials also have special procedures in place for youths who might find themselves going in the wrong direction.

“If a juvenile begins to have trouble during their 90 days; if they get themselves in any significant difficulty, we change their plans,” explains Handy. “But if they are having real problems, we bring them back to the facility in relapse status. We try to address any problems that occurred or any issues that became obvious. Then we send them out to try again. We believe in this process and it's been very effective for us so far.”

Innovative Adult Services

As part of its multi-level approach, the Minnesota DOC has also developed new transitional programming for adult offenders. One of those programs addresses a major need for many offenders – health care.

The Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) paired up with the DOC to offer subsidized health care packages for released inmates. By training every case worker to help offenders properly apply for low-income health care, the DOC has ensured that more inmates will be released with proper coverage.

“Because many of our offenders are low-income, they qualify for low-income health care,” explains Landz. “We asked many inmates what they do when they get sick – and many of them said they just go to the emergency room or end up being taken there by ambulance. That doesn't benefit anyone – we want to teach them how to get health care before they are in a crisis situation.”

By teaching inmates how to fill out forms and understand their deductibles, Minnesota officials are ensuring that everyone in the state has at least some form of health care insurance. 

“Before release, we give every offender an application form and help them fill it out so that they can have immediate health care benefits at a pretty low cost as soon as they are released. Really, there is a fair amount of education we have to give inmates about this – some inmates don't even understand why they are paying for the healthcare. We're taking the time to sit with them and give them more education,” says Landz.

According to Landz, low-income healthcare is a great program for recently released inmates, and it also saves taxpayer dollars from being used for expensive emergency procedures.

“Looking at it from a taxpayer's point of view, it costs a lot more money if they are constantly being treated at the last minute,” says Landz. “There's [a lot] of national data that shows healthcare like this does pay off in the long run – you don't want people to end up in a diabetic coma before they get treatment.”

Identifying the Future

Beyond offering subsidized healthcare, the DOC has also recently put a Photo Identification Project into place to help offenders obtain necessary identification. Realizing that many inmates needed proper identification to secure employment, the DOC created the Photo ID Project to help inmates transition back to society more smoothly.

“We're finding out that by providing offenders with more programs like the Photo ID Project, offenders are more savvy after their release,” says Landz. “When you release an inmate without proper identification, that's a huge drawback to their overall success in the community; that's why we needed to address this issue.”

Prior to release, each offender now has the opportunity to obtain their social security card and birth certificate. Inmates at medium-security facilities have the chance to obtain a state photo ID card or even renew their driver's license. Partnering up with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicular Services division, the DOC has trained officers to help inmates fill out the necessary paperwork for these documents.

“With our help, offenders do not spend nearly as much time trying to navigate the systems and processes for proper documentation,” Landz says. “Offenders now have access to state-wide information and documents, which will enable them to leave our facilities more prepared than ever.”

Officials at Minnesota's DOC are helping offenders with more than just proper identification. Inmates also have the chance to participate in mock job fairs, career exploration workshops, and speak with an employment coordinator before they are released.

By offering a comprehensive reentry program for both juvenile and adult offenders, the DOC has made the transition back to society a smoother one. Minnesota officials hope the programs will keep offenders are moving forward – and finding a new balance in their lives.