North Texas Reentry Guide

Criminal Justice & Political Science faculty have created a reentry guide for those returning to North Texas after incarceration.

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Criminal Justice Associate Professors Haley Zettler and Jessica Craig, and Professor and Department Chair Adam Trahan, along with Political Science Principal Lecturer Wendy Watson, received funding to attend the Education Justice Project at the University of Illinois inaugural reentry guide cohort training in Spring of 2023 for the purpose of developing a guide to be used in North Texas. They have been working, along with graduate and undergraduate research students and an advisory council of formerly incarcerated individuals, to develop the North Texas Reentry Guide.

“This project has been a tremendous opportunity to fill a gap in the community by providing a comprehensive guide for recently incarcerated individuals, their family members, and those working in the area of reentry,” Dr. Zettler said.

The guide provides individuals with pre- and post-release resources to help ease the transition back to the community after incarceration. Topics include finding employment, housing, transportation, technology, education, mental health resources and substance use treatment.

“95% of individuals incarcerated are returning to the community. A large number of those incarcerated will be returning to North Texas,” Dr. Zettler said. “We need to focus on supporting these individuals and assisting with their reentry, as it affects us all.”