Community Reentry Service Provider Network

In April 2003, Allen Temple Baptist Church, the District office of the State Economic Development Department and the Port of Oakland convened representatives from government agencies and community-based organizations in Alameda County. Their goal was to create a networking opportunity for providers of employment assistance to parolees. Now called the Community Reentry Service Provider Network (CRSPN), the group has grown to include service providers covering a wide variety of services from health to housing. The Urban Strategies Council began providing administrative support to CRSPN in the fall of 2003.

While CRSPN's primary purpose is building relationships between service providers, its focus has expanded to include legislative advocacy and the development of an online resource referral system of programs that serve formerly incarcerated people.

CRSPN Vision

• Improve public safety.
• Use public funds more efficiently.
• Give formerly incarcerated people the networks and services they need to re-integrate successfully into family and community life.

Online Resource Referral System Project

Many government agencies and community-based organizations provide services to people returning from prison to Alameda County. Yet case managers inside prisons who prepare people for release are often unable to connect formerly incarcerated people with services they need such as housing, job referrals, or substance abuse treatment. This problem largely results from a lack of current and reliable information on programs that serve formerly incarcerated people. To fill this gap, CRSPN is developing an online resource referral system specifically aimed to serve the needs of the formerly incarcerated. Currently in design phase, the new system will provide centralized, up-to-date information that case managers, service providers, parole officers and formerly incarcerated people can use to identify programs and services in Alameda County.

Legislative Advocacy

Trying to reassimilate into society after spending time in prison is an enormously difficult task. A criminal record and “resume gap” complicate finding a job; strained family relationships limit housing options; and substance abuse, widespread even inside prison walls, can very quickly dissolve the small cash stipend provided by the Corrections Department upon release.

On top of these social barriers, legal barriers make the odds of success even worse for formerly incarcerated people. Currently, those convicted of a drug-related felony cannot receive food stamps, nor can they live in federally subsidized housing. Parole revocation and re-incarceration for minor infractions such as failing a drug test or missing an appointment are so common that the State has decided to rework completely its parole system. Laws such as these make nearly impossible the already difficult job of helping formerly incarcerated people lead productive, crime-free lives. For this reason, CRSPN identifies and supports legislative and procedural initiatives that promote successful re-integration into the community of formerly incarcerated people.