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DOC says FY26 maintains funding for reentry programs, including Lead Up/Lead Out and Ready Center services
Summary
At the June 11 hearing DOC testified that FY26 preserves funding for Lead Up/Lead Out reentry programs and the Ready Center lease; DOC described tracking for program participation, referrals to partner agencies and one-year follow-up for some cohorts.
Committee members asked about DOC's reentry programming and measurement of outcomes during the June 11 budget hearing.
Director Tom Faust said the FY26 budget continues funding (stated as $2,100,000 in testimony) for the department's Lead Up/Lead Out reentry program, and referenced the Ready Center lease that supports post-release services. Faust said education, workforce development and reentry supports are being preserved at current levels.
Deputy Director Jacqueline Williams described how the department tracks participation and outcomes: residents complete an interest form on intake, DOC uses the Northpointe COMPAS risk and needs assessment to identify needs, and the Ready Center operates via referrals to partner providers (DOES, DHS, Voices for a Second Chance) who then track employment or housing outcomes in their systems. Williams said DOC tracks referrals, program participation counts, recidivism for Ready Center-connected residents and that Lead Up/Lead Out cohorts are followed for a year with retention specialists, job coaches and peer navigators.
Why it matters: Continuity of reentry programming and post-release supports can affect employment, housing stability and recidivism; the council pressed DOC for better outcome-tracking and interagency data sharing.
What remains unresolved: The committee asked for more closed-loop metrics linking specific in-jail training to long-term employment or housing outcomes; DOC said partners track outcomes for referrals and that DOC follows Ready Center participants and Lead Up/Lead Out cohorts for one year, but acknowledged data-sharing limitations.
