IDOC Highlights Re-Entry During Second Chance Month

[April 18, 2023]  (Springfield, IL) – During this year's Second Chance Month, the Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) highlights the importance of empowering individuals with meaningful opportunities for success during incarceration and while reentering their communities. This month, IDOC facilities across the State will host several events in recognition of Second Chance Month including Re-Entry Summits and Re-Entry Vital Document Drives. At these events, community resource providers, state agencies, and other vendors are invited to facilities to explain their services and connect with individuals nearing their release dates. The summits feature information and wrap-around services designed to assist individuals with navigating release in several areas such as counseling and mental health, health care, employment, interview preparation, housing, education and training, and child support services. IDOC hosts Re-Entry Summits and Re-Entry Vital Document Drives biannually at each facility. Additional facilities will host Re-Entry Summits and Re-Entry Vital Document Drives in May and June.

In addition, the Re-Entry Unit will host ‘Know Your Rights’ webinars, delivered by the Safer Foundation, throughout the month in all IDOC facilities. Throughout this month, the Re-Entry Unit is also partnering with Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) to host virtual job fairs for returning citizens preparing for release to Central and Southern Illinois. Earlier this month, IDOC’s Re-Entry Unit participated in Chicago’s Returning Residents Working Group.

"Successful re-entry is a cornerstone of IDOC's mission," said Latoya Hughes, Acting Director of IDOC. "Our focus on re-entry is not just about reducing recidivism - it's about eliminating barriers and creating pathways, social support, and second chances. This month also presents an opportunity to acknowledge the Re-Entry Unit and all our government and community partners who work tirelessly towards the same goal, improving the lives of the thousands in our care."

The Re-Entry Unit is also working with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and IDES to bring additional assistance and employment readiness resources to each facility’s Re-Entry Resource Room including resume writing assistance, interview preparation, and career exploration. Later this month, regional meetings throughout Illinois will convene to kick off this collaboration and activation of resources.

“Access to opportunities and the ability for returning citizens to meet their basic needs is critical to successful re-entry,” said Angie Mecagni, Re-Entry Coordinator of IDOC. “IDOC’s Re-Entry Team is motivated to continue to collaborate with community and other state agencies to bridge gaps, ensure that people in custody can obtain their vital documents and identification, enroll in health care and leave custody without having to worry about food insecurity, and assist in connecting individuals to employment, services and all things necessary to become productive and successful members of their communities.”

“My first 60 days will be very important for me from what I lost to what I gained – and what I gained outweighs the loss in my life,” said Cassidy L. Winston, returning citizen from Kewanee Life Skills Re-Entry Center. “This chapter of my life is going to be over and now I’ve got to be a productive citizen of my community and help them to understand we are people too, we have worth. I don’t want to tell them; I want to show them.”

Established in January 2020, the Re-Entry Unit, part of IDOC’s Programs and Support Services Division, bridges the gap between correctional facilities and IDOC’s Parole Division to enhance services and opportunities for individuals to have a successful transition to the community. The Unit focuses on enhancing re-entry services around vital document and State ID obtainment, Medicaid and SNAP enrollment, transitional housing expansion, employment readiness, and partnership with community resources. In 2020, the Department began creating dedicated Re-Entry Resource Rooms. Last year, in celebration of Second Chance Month, the Re-Entry Unit hosted an ‘In-Reach’ webinar series in all facility Re-Entry Resource Rooms to bring individuals in custody re-entry related presentations, employment workshops, and virtual job fairs facilitated by community resources, organizations, and other state agencies. These webinars have continued and are now organized by region in which individuals are preparing to return to.

Along with a Re-Entry Resource Room, each IDOC facility has a Re-Entry Counselor, who coordinates re-entry programming, engages individuals in custody in effectively planning for re-entry, and assists in linkage to community organizations and other state agencies. Facility staff assist in the crucial step of vital document obtainment, which was traditionally left to the end of someone’s sentence.

Last year, IDOC completed its rollout of the State ID Program to each facility in collaboration with the Illinois Secretary of State’s Office. To date, the Secretary of State has issued over 1,600 Illinois State IDs to individuals pre-release.

Earlier this month, IDOC also announced the full expansion of its pre-release SNAP Program, in collaboration with the Illinois Department of Public Health, to improve access to SNAP benefits for formerly incarcerated individuals who are unlikely to have the resources necessary to ensure food security. Over the next year, the Re-Entry Unit will focus on the expansion of workforce development and employment readiness services to enhance opportunities for successful transitions to the community.