Corrections_Today_September_October_2023_Vol.85_No.5

■ REENTRY

reentry, with employer engagement as a crucial factor. This presentation builds on Right On Crime’s employer engagement forums, involving community partners, employers, probation and parole and law enforcement, to enlighten employers about the benefits and resources for second-chance hiring. If you’ve ever tried out a new recipe, you understand that it’s a bit more complex than simply mixing every thing together. The same applies with reentry — the task is to get these stakeholders together to work collabora tively to address the unique needs of nearly 4.4 million individuals on community supervision in the United States. 1 The APPA and NIC article, The Role of Community Supervision in the Criminal Justice Process, describes what most of us know — “Community corrections, spe cifically pretrial services, probation, and parole/aftercare, are among the criminal and juvenile justice systems least known and understood aspects by the public.” 2 It goes on to point out, “One of the many results in the era of criminal justice reform is criminal justice systems collectively working towards creating safer communi ties by employing strategies that improve/enhance public safety resulting in less crime and fewer victims. The community corrections field, guided by the research

supporting positive offender outcomes, has seen the role of the community supervision staff evolve into a dual role of law enforcer and caseworker, sometimes, defined as a change agent consisting of combined skills and ap proaches that support the working relationship between the officer and offender.” 3 Revisiting the origins of probation through John Augustus, who believed in rehabilitating individuals through kindness and moral persuasion, sets the foundation for the Reentry Gumbo recipe. Right On Crime’s Reentry Gumbo recipe expands on these findings and incorporates the probation and pa role officer as a key ingredient. Often co-presented with Hester Serrano a Regional Program Manager with the Louisiana Department of Proba tion and Parole, the recipe has been shared with employers, practi tioners, probation and parole and leaders in corrections. Roots of community supervision

Understanding the roots of com munity supervision and the role of the business community in reentry is vital. Revisiting the origins of probation through John Augustus, who believed in rehabilitating indi viduals through kindness and moral persuasion, sets the foundation for the Reentry Gumbo recipe. In the 1840’s John Augustus, a boot maker, made a deal with the Boston criminal courts to help

Photo courtesy Scott Peyton

48 — September/October 2023 Corrections Today