Making the Transition:
Rethinking Jail Reentry in Los Angeles County
Fact Sheet

FEBRUARY 2013

BACKGROUND

Key Findings
>> The most common hurdles that people
held in the jail expected to encounter
upon release were related to e
­ mployment,
­housing, and substance use.
>> Only six people (out of the 80 people
who were interviewed) reported receiving
­reentry services while in the jail.
>> While a small sample, those people who
did have contact with services in the jail reported that they found them to be h
­ elpful.
>> Despite the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s
Department (LASD) recent initiatives to
bring community service organizations into
the jail to provide reentry support (known
as jail in-reach), many service providers
­interviewed for the study reported problems securing funding and LASD authorization to provide in-jail services.
>> Budgetary constraints and understaffing adversely affect reentry services. The
main LASD reentry services provider, the
Community Transition Unit, had a one­
to-1,000 ratio of staff to potential clients
(people held in the jail) at the time of data
collection.
>> Most community-service providers lack
sufficient capacity to evaluate the effectiveness of the reentry services that they
provide.
>> There is limited communication and coordination between the LASD, other
government agencies, and community­
based service providers.

Corrections agencies and community organizations are increasingly
using reentry services as a way of supporting people who are released
from jail. These interventions—such as job skills training, educational
programming, housing assistance, and behavioral health treatment—
aim to help people succeed in the community, diminish their likelihood
of reoffending, and improve public safety. Research shows that reentry
supports are associated with lower rates of criminal activity and reincarceration. However, implementing these programs in correctional
settings—particularly in jails—is challenging.* To further reentry efforts
in Los Angeles, in 2010 the Vera Institute of Justice partnered with
the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department (LASD) and a number of
community-based organizations to study the reentry needs of people
leaving jail in Los Angeles County. The study examined existing reentry services, analyzed their strengths and weaknesses, and recommended changes that could increase the efficacy of interventions for
the 160,000 people who pass through the L.A. County Jail annually.
LOS ANGELES JAIL TO COMMUNITY REENTRY PROJECT
Making the Transition describes findings and recommendations from
the Vera Institute of Justice’s Los Angeles Jail to Community Reentry
Project. As a part of this study, Vera researchers interviewed 80 people
in the jail; talked to a wide range of LASD staff and administrators,
community leaders, and service providers; and analyzed administrative data to address three principal questions:
>> What are the reentry needs of men held in the L.A. County Jail?
>> What do people held in the jail think about existing services and
the barriers to accessing them?
>> What do jail and community stakeholders think about the state of
reentry services?
(continued on back)

*	A. Aos, M. Miller, and E. Drake. Evidence-based Adult Corrections Programs: What Works
and What Does Not (Olympia, WA: Washington State Institute for Public Policy, 2006).

SUBSTANCE USE AND MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM

The Five Most Common Reentry
Priorities Self-Reported by
Interviewees Held in the Jail (n=80)

employment

73%

housing

34%

substance use

33%

relationships

26%

staying out
of trouble

23%

For More Information
The Vera Institute of Justice
is an independent nonprofit
organization that combines
expertise in research,
demonstration projects, and
technical assistance to help
leaders in government and civil
society improve the systems
people rely on for justice and
safety.

The recommendations in this report address three general areas for improvement: reentry service delivery and engagement; operations and efficiency; and
coordination. They build on the ongoing efforts of the LASD and communityservice providers to enhance supportive services for people leaving the jail and
returning to their communities. The report recommendations include:

Reentry Service Delivery and Engagement
1.	

Expand reentry service outreach and tailor it for the jail environment.

2.	

Create client targeting and triage systems.

3.	

Incorporate risk and needs assessments into reentry services.

4.	

Individualize reentry service plans for maximum impact.

5.	

Take steps to overcome barriers to trust and engagement.

6.	

Strengthen linkages between the jail and community-service providers.

Operations and Efficiency
7.	

Standardize the procedures, staff training, and supervision used by jailbased reentry programs.

8.	

Use data to facilitate reentry services provision.

9.	

Develop evaluation components for all reentry programs.

Coordination
10.	 Enhance collaboration among reentry service providers, the Department
of Mental Health, and the Probation Department.
11.	 Increase collaboration between and among jail and community-based
providers.
CONCLUSION
Making the Transition is a starting point for conversations among LASD staff,
community leaders, funders, government officials, and representatives of nonprofit organizations about the services people leaving the L.A. County Jail need
most and how to improve their delivery.

Read the complete summary report at www.vera.org/pub/­makingthe-transition-summary-report
Read the technical report at www.vera.org/pub/­making-thetransition-technical-report

For more information on the
­Substance Use and Mental
Health Program, please contact
­Jim ­Parsons, at (212) 376-3043 or
jparsons@vera.org. 

Vera Institute of Justice
233 Broadway, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10279
Tel: (212) 334-1300
Fax: (212) 941-9407

Washington DC Office
1100 First St. NE, Suite 950
Washington, DC 20002
Tel: (202) 465-8900
Fax: (202) 408-1972

New Orleans Office
546 Carondelet St.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Tel: (504) 593-0937
Fax: (212) 941-9407

Los Angeles Office
707 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 3850
Los Angeles, CA 90017
Tel: (213) 223-2442
Fax: (213) 955-9250