Breaking Barriers to a Successful ReEntry
ReEntry services vary from facility to facility and are subject to change. Not all incarcerated individuals qualify or are appropriate for every program nor is every program eligible for case plan credit time, individuals should work with their assigned case manager to see which programs they are eligible for.
The Indiana Department of Correction has categorized all offered programming into one of the following categories.
- Activity: Facility specific activities that are approved by the facility head, which do not meet the criteria of a Program or Course.
- Course: Group or self-study approved by the Commissioner or their designee with standardized curriculum that does not qualify for a time cut/earned credit time.
- Program: An earned credit time/time cut program of study, approved by the Commissioner or their designee, which includes any of the following criteria; Standardized Curriculum, Validated Evidence-Based Practices (EBP), Established Performance Measures.
Upon release individual are provide a portfolio containing all their certifications and important documents to start them off on their reentry journey.
Programming Opportunities
- Education
Literacy Education – Program
Thirty-four percent of the Department’s adult population is functionally illiterate. On-going research has found that ex-Incarcerated Individuals who are employed post-release are less likely to recidivate. Increasing educational attainment while incarcerated holds the promise of increasing employment opportunities at sustainable wages and ending a repetitive cycle of involvement in the State’s criminal justice system. Indiana’s Correctional Education programs begin with a strong commitment of resources to basic reading, mathematics, and language arts.
TASC (Test Assessing Secondary Completion) – Program
- Employment/Vocational
Vocational Education – Program
The Department, with the guidance of the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), provides vocational programs ranging from Auto Body to Welding throughout the state’s adult system. Instructors are typically certified as occupational specialists by the Indiana Department of Education. Examples of available vocational programs are listed below.
- Advanced Manufacturing:
- American Welding Society (AWS) Welding Certification*
- National Institute for Metal Working Skills (NIMS) CNC Operator Certification Mill & Lathe*
- Catapult- Conexus of Indiana*
- Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC)- Certified Production Technician (CPT)*
- Purdue Skills for Success
- Basic Electrical, Motors/Motor Controls
- Building Trades/Construction
- National Center for Construction Education Research (NCCER) CORE, Welding, and Level 1 Carpentry Certifications*
- Indiana Plan Pre-Apprenticeship Building Trades
- Supply Chain/Logistics:
- Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC): Certified Logistics Associate (CLA)*
- Manufacturing Skill Standards Council (MSSC): Certified Logistics Technician (CLT)*
- Information Technology
- The Last Mile
- Culinary Arts:
- American Hotel & Lodging Education Foundation: Certified Kitchen Cook
- Serve Safe
- Business Technology
- Recreational Vehicle Technician
- Cosmetology/Barbering
- ICAN
- ICAN trains and places assistance dogs with individuals with disabilities and provides foundational life skills to Incarcerated Individuals through their experiences as trainers. More information on the Indiana Canine Assistant Network can be found HERE
- Advanced Manufacturing:
- Reformative Programming
Reformative Programming
The Purposeful Living Units Serve (PLUS) program is a faith and character-based community that encourages Incarcerated Individuals to choose alternatives to criminal thinking and behavior by providing a focus on spiritual and character development, life-skills training community service, and intentional preparation for living as law-abiding citizens. Key components of the program include a strong positive peer culture, a curriculum that addresses risk factors and establishing a mentoring relationship with a positive role model volunteer from the community. In 2009, PLUS was nationally recognized by the American Correctional Chaplains Association by receiving their Incarcerated Individuals Program of the Year award.
Thinking for a Change – Program
The Department utilizes Thinking for a Change version 4.0. T4C 4.0 is an innovative, evidence-based cognitive behavioral curriculum from the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) that has broadly influenced the correctional field and the way correctional facilitators work with Incarcerated Individuals. Studies have shown that, when implemented with integrity, it can reduce recidivism among Incarcerated Individuals. Lessons focus on the development of social and problem-solving skills.