At a meeting of the Alabama Reentry Commission, a Council of State Governments Justice Center presenter proposed establishing four informal working groups to develop policy and practice recommendations that align with the state’s Reentry 2030 goals.

The working groups proposed were: data (definitions of recidivism, alternative outcome measures, information sharing and analytic alignment); economic mobility (collateral consequences, workforce development, employer engagement); preparedness (access to IDs, safe housing, transportation, benefits access); and behavioral health (treatment options, service gaps and interagency coordination).

The Justice Center presenter said the groups would convene virtually in the coming weeks, review the assessment findings in their topic areas, examine best practices from other jurisdictions, and produce vetted recommendations to bring back to the commission. The presenter described a timeline in which the working groups would meet over the next several months and return recommended policy packages by April or May.

Commission members broadly supported the idea of smaller topical teams and asked for follow-up, one-on-one conversations as recommendations emerge so commissioners would not first see proposals only at the final presentation. Discussion covered how members should be recruited to the working groups and the need to vet proposals for political and resource feasibility before formal submission.

No formal vote was recorded; the plan was discussed and advanced as the commission’s working approach to translate assessment findings into actionable recommendations.

The commission requested that the Justice Center share materials (presentations and videos) and solicit names of subject-matter participants for each working group.