About Us
SADO’s Reentry Delivers Pre- and Post- Release Reentry Assistance
SADO launched Project Reentry (PR) in 2016 in response to the unique and immediate needs of Michigan’s juvenile lifers. The PR team works in coordination with SADO attorneys and staff.
PR’s primary goal is to help achieve positive outcomes for clients. PR uses four primary tools toward goal achievement: the development of Comprehensive Reentry Plans (CRPs), the facilitation of monthly Reentry Workshops, the production of a Reentry Book, and the publication of a monthly Reentry Newsletter (The Drum).
- CRPs prepare and assist clients for their return to the community. They are also used at various stages of litigation: in negotiations with prosecutors, at resentencing hearings before judges, at parole board hearings, and post-release. Each CRP contains personalized and individual information on support networks, detailed housing and resource investigation reports, resumes, employment and/or schooling prospects, and more. When preparing CRPs, PR works closely with clients to tailor plans to each client’s needs and to help clients create a plan to ensure their success. PR follows up on each client’s support network, often preparing housing investigation reports, researching community reentry service providers, and obtaining verbal and/or written agreements of support.
- Reentry Workshops are focused on teaching necessary real-world life skills on topics not covered by traditional MDOC reentry programming, such as building credit, applying for jobs and preparing for interviews, building healthy relationships, and how to use a smart phone or computer. These workshops are open to all returning citizens, regardless of whether they were SADO clients.
- The Reentry Book will help all individuals—attorneys, reentering citizens, and members of the public—with navigating the sometimes complicated bureaucratic processes necessary for obtaining housing, public assistance, medical and mental health treatment and more. This resource will soon be available to all returning citizens, regardless of whether they were SADO clients.
- The Reentry Newsletter, The Drum, is prepared with the help of returning citizens in an effort to create a sense of community amongst reentering citizens and to encourage pro-social interactions. The newsletter frequently provides returning citizens with information about dealing with the challenges they face, as well as practical information, such as job opportunities.
In addition, PR is available to assist clients and other returning citizens with day-to-day challenges. PR is in regular communication with clients and other returning citizens and directs them to available resources when they face challenges with housing, employment, and medical and mental health care. Even when clients do not reach out to PR for assistance, PR contacts clients regularly to maintain contact.
SADO's Project Reentry is excited to announce the release of a mobile and web-based reentry application. The Reentry Service Locator application puts reentry and community resources at your fingertips and is accessible from any device with an internet connection, including a smart phone. The app contains over 600 statewide resources, and counting, that will help match individuals to community resources. We hope attorneys and teams will use this tool to advocate for community placement over incarceration, to advocate for reduced sentences, and to develop reentry plans. We also hope members of the public and individuals coming home will use this application to find community support when they need it most.
Programmer Harry Seong created this app for us at no cost after hearing about and believing in the mission of SADO's Project Reentry. If you have success using the app or if you have suggestions for improvements, please send feedback to Marilena David at mdavid@sado.org.
Questions? Contact Marilena David at mdavid@sado.org|313-256-9833
