Sidebars from TPCI

Several policy statements in this Report feature initial sidebars which briefly address the policy at issue from the perspective of the Transition from Prison to the Community Initiative (TPCI) model. TPCI, a project of the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), is one of several national reentry initiatives.

The TPCI incorporates targeted technical assistance and a particular problem-solving model developed by 35 senior corrections practitioners who served on the TPCI Advisory Board and working groups. The model, described in a 37-page document and illustrated in a flowchart, is organized around the flow of offenders from admission to prison through discharge from post-prison supervision and beyond. The TPCI model is a framework to encourage systemic reentry reform--planned and implemented by a collaborative policy team drawn from law enforcement, instititutional and community supervision agencies, paroling authorities, public human services agencies, community service providers, and others. NIC and its project partners provide technical assistance to selected states to facilitate collaboration among various stakeholders and to help states develop and implement their own improvement plans, and refine them over time.

In contrast, the RPC Report is a comprehensive menu of options for any policymaker or practitioner interested in detailed recommendations addressing anya spect of reentry and seeking reassurance that these recommendations reflect the bipartisan support of state and local government officials who represent not only the criminal justice system, but also a broad spectrum of health, housing, and employment systems. Interestingly, states participating in TPCI are well-positioned to consider, select from, and adapt detailed recommendations such as those offered in the RPC report. Whereas the TPCI model addresses reentry from state prison only, the RPC Report contemplates reentry from jail, as well as prison.

In short, TPCI and the RPC Report share a great deal in terms of their overall goals, desired outcomes, and concerns. The projects do differ in several important respects. Their respective origins, intended audiences, level of detail, and methods of delivery are distinctive. Staff on both projects have worked hard to ensure that these efforts are complementary, and, to that end, have indicated in numerous places in the report, the TPCI approach to a particular aspect of the reentry process.

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