Despite the new emphasis on reintegration as a broader way of thinking about parole
and aftercare, practice and policy remain narrowly focused on managing offender risks
and, in some cases, providing services. The authors argue that the community role in
reentry has not been clearly articulated and suggest the need for a less individualized,
more naturalistic intervention theory. Core principles and practices associated with a
restorative community justice model provide tools for strengthening neighborhood
informal social control and social support as vital forms of social capital in
communities, which is necessary to increase the likelihood of reintegration. Based on
emerging empirical research that clarifies the importance of the community role, the
authors conceptualize the community role in building relationships of support and
control around the offender as a key neglected independent variable in reentry and as a
dependent variable for intervention strategies based on community building. |