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Reorganization of In-Custody and Reentry Contracting

Over the past several years, New York City has seen tremendous growth in both in-custody jail programing and post-release reentry supports. Through Department of Correction (DOC) and Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ) programs like the Individualized Correctional Achievement Network (ICAN), the Specialized Model for Adult Reentry (SMART), the Youth Reentry Network (YRN) and most recently, Jails to Jobs (J2J), the City has invested significantly in providing pre- and post-release comprehensive in-custody and reentry services. Based on best practice models, all the programs described above were designed with a continuum of care, meaning that services provided by community based providers in city jails intentionally link to post-release services of the same type –often offered by the same providers with both in-custody and in-community footprints. Because of this emphasis on program continuity, the DOC and MOCJ contracts described above include funding for both pre- and post-release services.

The City now has the opportunity to redesign program and contract structures in a manner consistent with insights gained in the delivery of both pre- and post-release programming and best practice knowledge. DOC and MOCJ invited many of the city’s nonprofit organizations to structured focus groups to discuss their experiences, concerns and ideas regarding programming both inside DOC facilities and in the community. Feedback from these groups, as well as lessons learned by the City over the past several years, will inform the two new RFPs—one to be issued by DOC for in-custody services (including services up until the point of discharge) that combines core in-custody services currently offered via ICAN, SMART and YRN programs—and one to be issued by MOCJ for post-release services (including services that are hybrid community/in-custody reentry planning roles and all services from the point of discharge forward) that combines core post-release services currently offered by ICAN, SMART, YRN, and Jails to Jobs.

The Concept Report is available here: Concept Paper for Reorganization of DOC and MOCJ Reentry contracts.pdf.