Collaboration Brings Reentry Help to Prisoners

One of the most challenging aspects of reducing recidivism (re-offense rates) is helping returning citizens properly re-engage with their communities by finding appropriate housing, employment, and other resources many free citizens take for granted every day. Some paroling prisoners have family and friends to help them through this process, but many do not. Even for those with support, the amount of work necessary to connect returning citizens with services and resources they need to become independent and successful can be daunting. 

On October 13, 2017, Jason VanHorn, Calvin College Professor of Geographical Information Systems, and Julie Bylsma of the Calvin Prison Initiative (CPI) met with students enrolled in the CPI program https://calvin.edu/prison-initiative/about/ to share information about an exciting new collaboration designed to improve the odds of success for paroling Michigan prisoners. 

For the last two years, Calvin College students and staff at the Knollcrest campus have collaborated with Henry Institute https://calvin.edu/centers-institutes/henry-institute/ to build a new website interface and mobile phone app they have called the "Re-Entry Map Initiative." This application is designed to put all known available reentry resources at the fingertips of returning citizens in the Grand Rapids area (Kent county). So far, VanHorn and Bylsma have identified over 150 resources in the greater Grand Rapids area that are dedicated to helping returning citizens succeed upon release from prison. 

The benefits of this application for returning citizens who are on parole include being able to quickly identify the closest resources (many parolees do not have transportation) and to make use of every service available to help them become independent. These resources include both government services, felony friendly employers, non-profits and ministries who focus on ex-felons, counseling, and housing options. 

The students and staff who have worked on this collaboration have kept in mind that many returning citizens are unfamiliar with the Internet and smartphone applications. They have designed the interface to be user-friendly and simple. Future additions to this application may include expanding its coverage to additional Michigan counties and possibly other states. Talks are in process with the Michigan Department of Corrections to make the Re-Entry Map Initiative a linked resource for the department's reentry program website.

Those interested in using this resource to help a returning citizen who is paroling to the Grand Rapids area prepare for success, please visit gis.Calvin.edu/rc