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Cumberland County Jail—s reentry coordinator says program links most participants to community supports
Summary
Reentry coordinator Marissa Exchange told commissioners that the jail—s reentry program connected about 417 people with supports between May and October and that 91% of those released had at least one confirmed community support arranged prior to release.
Marissa Exchange, the reentry coordinator at Cumberland County Jail, briefed the county commissioners on the jail—s reentry work, describing services that coordinate housing, treatment, benefits and long-term supports to ease individuals— transitions back to the community.
Exchange said the program served approximately 417 unique individuals from May through October with about 453 engagements and roughly 272 successful releases; the program reported 52 direct bed-to-bed transitions into treatment or sober housing. Exchange told commissioners that "91 percent of people released through our program left with at least 1 confirmed community support in place," noting that supports range from housing vouchers to recovery coaches and MaineCare continuity.
She described partnerships with DHHS intensive case managers, Portland Recovery Community Center (PRCC), Common Space, Maine Pretrial and regional housing providers. The program has been added to the coordinated-entry/homeless-management information system so case managers can directly refer formerly incarcerated people into the regional housing system.
Commissioners asked about translation services, program voluntariness and data tracking. Exchange said the jail has on-hand translation tools and community partners help with language access; referrals can come from staff, families or external agencies and participation is voluntary, though many people seek help closer to release. She said staff are working to compile multi-year recidivism metrics but that this year—s data supports the link between housing/resources and reduced re-arrest.
Provenance: topicintro SEG 072, topfinish SEG 264.
