Jericho Reentry Program

In 2006, Episcopal Community Services of Maryland (ECSM) received funding from the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) Prisoner Reentry Initiative to implement a new prisoner reentry program, the Jericho Reentry Program (Jericho). Under this initiative, ECSM provides case management, job placement, training, and life skills to 200 ex-offenders who have been released and are returning to Baltimore City each year. The Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services(DPSCS) also received an award from the federal government to complement this initiative. The DPSCS funding provides institutional programming such as counseling, life skills, and job training to assist with the transition to the Jericho Reentry Program and to the community. Preparing an individual for reentry for two to three months prior to release minimizes the risk of failure.

The funding from DOL is limited to job training and placement services only and cannot be used to support the other necessary wraparound services for a successful transition, such as housing and drug treatment. ECSM discovered that approximately 70 percent of the 200 individuals they serve were not able to find stable housing on their own. Having limited success in finding quality supportive housing for its clients without the incentive of funding, ECSM  requested funding in 2006 from The Abell Foundation to support housing stipends for its participants and was awarded a grant of $50,000. ECSM received additional grants of $60,000 in 2009 and $50,000 in 2010 from The Abell Foundation to continue its support of transitional housing stipends. The stipends have proven to be an important part of the program's success.

The Jericho Reentry Program has been operating for several years and has a 70 percent job placement rate for full-time employment (usually within two weeks of entry into the program) with an average wage of $8.85 per hour and a 68 percent job retention rate (tracked annually). Jericho was a recipient of a competitive Request for Proposal (RFP) for reentry services through the Open Society Institute (OSI), and they were selected to be a provider for the Public Safety Compact of the Safe and Sound Campaign. Jericho also received an award in 2009 from the Department of Labor to continue its program for an additional three years.