Well over two decades ago, Steadman, McCarty, and Morrissey (1989) identified transition planning as the weakest link in the effective reentry of individuals with mental or substance use disorders into the community. A follow up examination by Steadman and Veysey (1997) reconfirmed that this remained the least developed element of jail-based services with just over one-fourth of jails nationwide reporting that they provided any discharge planning mechanism. However, initiatives launched in the 2000s have focused more attention on jail reentry. The growth of the Sequential Intercept Model (SAMHSA GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation, 2013; Griffin, Heilbrun, Mulvey, DeMatteo, & Schubert, 2015) have highlighted the need for effective transition planning services. The Sequential Intercept Model was discussed in further detail in Chapter 4.  Increasingly, but slowly, there has been cross-system recognition that improved outcomes for individuals, justice systems, and the community require comprehensive and integrated service planning that is implemented within the correctional setting and continued into the community with minimal disruption.

The Bureau of Prisons (BOP) offers vocational training opportunities to incarcerated people who are nearing their completion of their sentence. This specialized programming offers classes to teach resume writing, job search skills, and job retention. There is also a focus on practicing interviewing skills. BOP will often highlight community-based programs that will assist formerly incarcerated people become employed. Many incarcerated people are eligible for release to a residential reentry program before the end of their sentence, which allows someone still incarcerated to be released to a less restrictive setting to begin reintegration into the community. Residential reentry programs allow for incarcerated people to connect to treatment providers and job opportunities in the community they plan to transition into post incarceration.