What happens after someone leaves prison?
For much of history, that question received surprisingly little attention.
By the late 1800s, many people completed their sentences only to discover they had nowhere to live, few job opportunities, and little support as they returned to their communities.
The Pennsylvania Prison Society believed reentry deserved just as much attention as incarceration itself.
In 1889, the Prison Society partnered with Michael Dunn, a formerly incarcerated man, to establish a residence where recently released people could find housing and stability during one of the most difficult periods of their lives.
The project also reflected an important shift in the Prison Society’s thinking. Earlier generations of members had questioned whether formerly incarcerated people should live together after release. Experience eventually demonstrated that supportive housing could play an important role in helping people successfully reintegrate into society. That early effort helped lay the groundwork for many of today's reentry programs and transitional housing models.
Today, Prison Society’s Building Connection program serves a similar function to the early housing programs: helping formerly incarcerated people reintegrate into their communities. The program begins inside prison, with a five-week workshop series for participants within six months of parole eligibility.