Publication

 March 2024

Build-Out of Student Services Report Findings from the Process Evaluation

BOS Sreport Web Inage 786x786

Overview

People reentering society after incarceration often face many barriers to securing jobs, finding housing, and accessing education. Women, and particularly women of color, face unique economic challenges on release back to their communities, as they are more likely to be unemployed or experience homelessness than formerly incarcerated men. Reentry programs can help support and mitigate some of these challenges. The College and Community Fellowship’s (CCF) Build-Out of Student Services (BOSS) project—funded by the Manhattan District Attorney’s Criminal Justice Investment Initiative (CJII)—provides New York City-based reentry programming that focuses on education, job placement, and peer support, specifically among formerly incarcerated women. In this report, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) evaluated the programming over a two-year period to understand the scope and impact of CCF’s programming, to understand participants’ experiences, and to identify strengths and recommendations for improvement.

Key Takeaway

Over the course of this study, participants overwhelmingly reported positive experiences with the BOSS reentry programming. The programming cultivated a strong, supportive community, and equipped formerly incarcerated women in New York City with the education and career skills they need to be competitive in the labor market.

Publication Highlights

  • CCF’s programming and accompanying financial support in particular supported participants in achieving their academic and career goals, both of which are key components to successful reentry after incarceration.

  • The impact of this programming extends to participants’ families and communities. They described being able to provide stability for their families and achieve goals they previously had thought impossible.

  • Based on participants’ and staff’s experiences, CCF’s programming, and other reentry similar programming, is likely to have a significant positive impact beyond participants’ completion rates.

Key Facts

People who participate in postsecondary education programs in prison are 48 percent less likely to be reincarcerated.
In state prison, about 58 percent of women were parents with minor children, compared to 46 percent of men.
Adults living at the poverty level are three times more likely to be arrested than those who do not.