Employment, race and housing are some of the largest and most widespread problems inmates face once they are released from prison, according to a Pitt seminar.

GROUP EFFORT—Clyde Ledbetter, Marion Damick, Daryl Ann Mick, Claire Walker, Nancy La Vigne, Marian Gremba, Charlotte Porter, Lynsey Prorok and Hide Yamatani collaborate during small group break-out session to develop action plans for the reintegration of former inmates.

In spite of a stormy forecast, rain did not deter the number of people who turned out for the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Social Work’s Race and Prisoner Reintegration seminar presented by the Center on Race and Social Problems Summer Institute July 9.

All of the 60 or more seats were occupied as a number of guest speakers extracted data and presented findings from recent studies centered upon the various components of successfully reintegrating former inmates into a society they have long been absent from.

Nancy LaVigne, senior research associate at the Urban Institute, stated employment, race and housing as some of the largest and most widespread problems inmates face once they leave prison.

“Almost 60 percent of these inmates are leaving jail with debt, but struggle to find employers willing to look past their criminal history.”

LaVigne conducted a longitudinal study of persons released from state correctional institutions in Baltimore, Chicago, Cleveland, and Houston. In her presentation, the role of race in the process of reintegration showed that Blacks, compared to their non-Black counterparts, are serving significantly larger sentences, being incarcerated at much higher rates, and more frequently denied employment based on their criminal background.

“It’s not to say that Blacks are committing more crimes, but instead they are living in urban areas where police patrol is much more frequent, which explains why [Blacks] are being incarcerated at higher rates”.

Statistics given by Kathleen Gnall, named the Deputy Secretary for Reentry and Specialized Programs at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections in 2007, stated that of the 2007 released offenders in Pennsylvania — 91 percent in Philadelphia county, 69 percent in Allegheny county, and 78 percent in Dauphene county, the majority were minorities (each county mentioned being their committing county).

Additionally, LaVigne highlighted the importance of family support and it being a key factor in the reintegration success.  

“Seventy four percent of non-Black and 54 percent of Black releasees lived with family members post-release and those with higher levels of family support were less likely to relapse,” she said. “Providing families with programs and support prior to their loved ones’ release is also vital.

Reverend Cynthia Lacey, an associate minister of Greater Allen African Methodist Episcopal church, expressed her thoughts and feelings regarding the role of family and community.

“Being a woman of faith, for me, the most startling fact was that men involved in faith-based institutions who drop out of those institutions are more detrimental toward their own success than are those who have never belonged to an institution of faith. Hearing that spoke loudly to me. The church has a responsibility to step up, reach out, and maintain devout relationships with these men.”

Reverend Lacey articulated great overall satisfaction with the information and presentations.

“The training was most incredible in its delivery and all that it addressed; however it’s very necessary to begin educating the public. Disclosing this information to our communities is vital, since it’s affecting them as much as these men we’re discussing,” she said.

Steve Raphael, Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkley, explained the history of reintegration and programs created to assist in the transition.

“Efforts to keep ex-offenders from reentering the correctional system have been practiced for decades,” he said. “Though not all programs and efforts have been successes.”

Raphael said that reintegrating former convicts into society starts prior to their release.

“Proactive policies and the utilization of prison resources reduce the reentry rate in the short, medium, and long run,” he said.

Raphael mentioned proposals such as having an EITC matching legitimate earnings dollar for dollar in the first year post-release, changing the disqualifications of Pell grant recipients, and offering an Earned Income Tax Credit for those accruing child support debt while incarcerated.

“Most of the current policies were created to deter citizens from committing crimes. Obviously individuals haven’t been drastically deterred — [the policies] are outdated and ineffective, which calls for change,” Raphael said.  

Hide Yamatani, associate dean of Pitt’s School of Social Work, presented the CRSP’s 2004 study evaluating the effectiveness of the Allegheny County Jail Collaborative.

The study found an approximate 50 percent lower recidivism rate (16.5 percent) compared to (33.1 percent) that of those released prior to the launch of the ACJC.

“Our study has shown validity in the efforts of the ACJ collaborative to save the county tax dollars and successfully reintegrate former inmates back into the community,” said Yamatani.

Annual savings for Allegheny County were f more than 5.3 million dollars, with the greatest cost-savings in the areas of increased public safety and reduced victimization among county residents.

The Race and Prisoner Reintegration Seminar is one in a series of seminars the Center on Race and Social Problem will be hosting during their Summer Institute Seminars. For more information on the Summer Institute, visit The CRSP website at crsp.pitt.edu.