Re-Entry Partners: Employees and volunteers helping men who have been incarcerated to transition to society

This study documents and examines efforts made by community members, known as Re-Entry Partners, in a region of North Carolina who volunteer or are employed in occupations where they assist formerly and currently incarcerated men during their transition back into society. It provides insights into why this social group becomes involved in reentry work as it captures what members report about their motivations. Religion emerges from the interview data as a primary motivation factor and as the cultural dimension of transition efforts as community members discuss how religion impacts and shapes their experiences as they serve this population. Additionally, the study documents three models of re-entry work operating in the region: Community Mentorships, Faith Teams, and Round Tables. These models represent the structural dimensions of transition efforts, indicating where efforts to assist this population take place inside and outside of prison. Finally, it highlights three major social consequences of re-entry work: (a) the benefits, costs, and health impacts on Re-Entry Partners who perform this type of work; (b) the social stratification demarcations which are traversed as men and women from different social locations come together to assist a population of predominantly low-income African American men who have been incarcerated; and (c) the impacts on the social networks of Re-Entry Partners as they socially engage with former and current residents of the criminal justice system.