Re-Entry Services

Strafford County provides a comprehensive response to the increasing number of people who are released from prison and jail into communities and the subsequent challenges communities face as offenders attempt to reintegrate into society. A combination of trends in sentencing, incarceration, and post-release supervision has brought prisoner reentry to the forefront of discussion among policy makers, practitioners, and researchers. Widely recognized increases in incarceration rates over the past 20 years have led to record numbers of prisoners, with current estimates indicating that over 2.3 million individuals are incarcerated in federal and state prisons. As a result the number of people released from prison has also grown exponentially. More than 700,000 people are released each year from prison and millions more cycle through local jails every year unprepared for release and with significant needs.

Without consistent support systems, access to resources, and positive intervention, a newly released offender is at risk to return to a life of crime therefore creating more victims of crime in our local community. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that 67.5 percent of offenders are rearrested within three years of release, and 30 percent of these re-arrests occur within the first six months of release. These statistics more than suggest that the transition from incarceration life is inherently difficult.

Strafford County continues to build upon its overall therapeutic approach towards public safety and offender-community reintegration. Strafford County provides re-entry services through the assistance in transition from incarceration to community based programs including transitional housing, substance abuse treatment, counseling, education, employment, housing and wellness and mental health services. This is accomplished through the use of practical interactions including individual and group settings.

Program Contact Information:

Heather Bragdon, Transitional Housing Director

Phone:  603-749-0832 ext 5173

Fax:  603-740-2955

E-mail:  heathersbragdon@co.strafford.nh.us