U.S. Department
of Justice
Reentry Initiatives
Reentry Initiatives for the Eastern District of North Carolina (EDNC)
We recognize that there are significant barriers to achieving success for those who return to society after a period of incarceration. As such, our initiatives focus on building community partnerships to support returning citizens and connecting those returning citizens to much needed resources and services. Removing or reducing barriers to successful reentry ensures that motivated individuals, those who have served their time and paid their debt to society, are able to compete for jobs, attain stable housing, support their families, and contribute to their communities.
To encourage repeat and violent offenders not to return to a life of crime, we also support focused and strategic deterrence programs. This means increased enforcement and prosecution of those who do not take advantage of community resources and instead engage in crimes that threaten the safety of the community.
Our initiatives include:
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Drug & Reentry Court Programs,
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Focused Deterrence Notifications (Call-Ins),
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Prison In-reach,
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Community Outreach,
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Local Reentry Councils, and
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Reentry Partnerships.
Our Reentry and Prevention Plan
Our Reentry Initiatives are part of a strategic plan to encourage and support crime prevention and reentry efforts throughout the forty-four counties in our District. In addition, our initiatives allow us to assist inmates who are incarcerated within our district but returning to other districts within the state and around the nation.
Initiative 1: Drug and Reentry Courts
The EDNC staffs two drug and reentry court programs:
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The (Helping Offenders Pursue Excellence) Program located in Raleigh, N.C.
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The (Striving To Achieve Recovery) Program located in Greenville, N.C.
Both drug and reentry court programs consist of a collaborative effort between the Eastern District of North Carolina’s U.S. District Court, U.S. Probation Office, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Federal Public Defender’s Office, and other agencies that provide rehabilitative services to former federal inmates with substance abuse issues.
The H.O.P.E. Program and the S.T.A.R. Program accept participants post-conviction, where an individual is on probation or supervised release after having been sentenced for a federal offense. Additionally, the S.T.A.R. Program accepts approved participants pretrial, where there has been no adjudication of guilt, and presentence, where the individual has been adjudicated guilty, but has not yet been sentenced.
Purpose. These programs provide participants with a system of support through a range of incentives and sanctions aimed at promoting and targeting long-term, sustainable, positive change. These reentry drug court programs enable participants to manage and overcome their substance use issues using the tools provided to them during their participation in the court. The tools gained in these programs help participants to be successful on supervision and afterwards.
Process. Both courts hold regularly scheduled court hearings to assess the progression of its participants. Participants of each program are required to complete four phases of the program in order to graduate successfully. Participants receive a reward or sanction during court sessions based on their progression in the program. Successful completion of one of these voluntary programs may earn participants a reduction in supervised release.
For more information: See Giving Hope video
Contact: U.S. Probation Office, Senior U.S. Probation Officer Julie Rosa
310 New Bern Ave, Suite 610
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 861-8660 (Phone)
(919) 861-5555 (Fax)
Initiative 2: Focused Deterrence Notification (Call-Ins)
A focused deterrence notification (call-in) is a systematic and thorough problem identification strategy to deter violence, gun and drug crimes. A comprehensive and strategic focused deterrence plan is created by local, state and federal law enforcement partners to target chronic and repeat offenders. Once notified, offenders are provided a unified message that they have been targeted and will be sanctioned if they continue to commit criminal acts. Community members and resource providers participate and augment the aggressive law enforcement approach by providing participants with support services and resources including housing, vocational services, employment services, educational services, and substance abuse programming. The EDNC is currently operating five (5) Focused Deterrence Notification (Call-In) locations: Elizabeth City, Fayetteville, Goldsboro, Jacksonville, and Rocky Mount.
For more information:
Initiative 3: Prison In-reach
We provide an in-reach program within the prisons at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner, North Carolina operated by the Bureau of Prisons that targets offenders who are within a year of release. The program works in conjunction with the Reentry Affairs Division of the Bureau of Prisons and assists in efforts to secure reentry plans for each individual who will be released back into the community. This also provides us a platform from which to recruit individuals for our reentry and drug court programs.
Initiative 4: Community Outreach
The EDNC has been highly successful in its community outreach efforts. Our community outreach efforts are focused on creating safer communities and connecting community partners and law enforcement at all levels with information and resources that will strengthen their ability to work with returning citizens. We participate with the community in joint events, which foster awareness, crime prevention, and communication.
In April 2016, we hosted our first reentry and prevention conference to bring together the community and community providers throughout the state from federal, state and local entities.
In March 2017, we hosted our first reentry and prevention forums. We held a forum for agencies involved in or interested in becoming involved in Focused Deterrence Notification Call-Ins. We also held a forum for local reentry councils that fostered sharing of strategies and offered networking opportunities between current local reentry councils and those local reentry councils that are just forming.
In April 2017, in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal’s Office in Eastern District of North Carolina, we provided an anti-gang crime prevention presentation to youth who attend Pitt County Sheriff’s Office Impact Program in Greenville, North Carolina. We also participated in a collaboration between Federal, State, and local reentry staff and programs across North Carolina to determine how we can encourage and increase reentry supports to communities and individuals dealing with reentry and crime prevention issues.
We will continue providing opportunities for those working with reentry and crime prevention to interact, network, and learn about current trends and available supports.
Please Contact EDNC's Reentry Coordinator for more information about current community outreach opportunities.
Initiative 5: Local Reentry Councils
Our office supports and participates in reentry councils across the EDNC. Local reentry councils are comprised of individuals and agencies within a community that provide assistance, services and resources to returning citizens to help formerly incarcerated individuals transition from incarceration back into society as productive citizens. There are local reentry councils in various communities throughout the EDNC.
For more information: See
Initiative 6: Partnerships
We build reentry relationships with local entities, North Carolina State Departments, and other U.S. Attorney’s Offices around the nation to aid the development and growth of reentry programming and supports throughout the district.
If you are interested in collaborating with us on reentry efforts, please Contact EDNC's Reentry Coordinator.
Returning Citizens and Families of Returning Citizens in the EDNC
If you or a family member are returning to the Eastern District of North Carolina from any jail or prison and would like further assistance locating local resources in your community, please Contact EDNC's Reentry Coordinator.
In addition, you may refer to these for resources throughout North Carolina that may be helpful to you in your search for assistance.
Reentry and Prevention Service Providers
If you are a resource provider that assists with reentry and prevention in the Eastern District of North Carolina, please Contact EDNC's Reentry Coordinator to share your information and be added to our list of known providers.
Reentry Issues
Public Safety
Reentry improves public safety. Approximately two million adults are incarcerated in state prisons and local jails. Nationally, two out of every three people released from state prisons are rearrested for a new offense and about half are reincarcerated within three years. Reducing recidivism is critical for increasing long-term public safety and lowering corrections costs.
Employment
Individuals who have been incarcerated can expect their future earnings to be reduced by about 40 percent after they return to their communities. Reentry efforts seek to reduce barriers to employment so that people with past criminal involvement – after they have been held accountable and paid their dues – can compete for work opportunities.
Health
There is often a lack of continuity in care from inside the prison to the community. Reentry efforts can help ensure that the Affordable Care Act and other reforms will significantly increase access to appropriate physical and behavioral health interventions after release from incarceration. Substance abuse can be a significant impediment to successful reentry and a major health concern. Addressing the root causes of substance abuse leads to improved public safety.
Education
Education is a core resource for release preparation, and is an evidence-based tool for reducing recidivism among adults and juveniles. Participation in education programming was associated with a 16 percent reduction in recidivism in one study. Education is also a critical building block for increasing employment opportunities.
Housing
Stable housing with appropriate supportive services is a key factor in preventing homelessness and reducing recidivism. The goal is to reduce barriers to public and subsidized housing, and advance promising models that improve outcomes for people who repeatedly use corrections and homeless services.
Additional Resources
Please visit the following resources for more information about reentry: