Dear Citizens of Missouri:

This is a very exciting time in the Missouri Department of Corrections. Under the leadership of Director Larry Crawford, Corrections is heading in a new direction with a philosophical approach toward reentry. Missouri was one of two states chosen by the National Institute of Corrections to adopt the Transition from Prison to Community Initiative (TPCI). This is a nationally recognized initiative and was developed to ensure that emphasis is placed on providing services, which promote the success of offenders released from incarceration.

The TPCI model offers Missouri a framework, process and set of principles for a system wide approach to preparing offenders for success in the community. The intent is to reduce duplicative efforts, share limited resources and promote public safety by reducing the likelihood of future criminal behavior by those released from prison in Missouri.

Studies show that 97% of offenders incarcerated in the State of Missouri will someday return to our communities. With 34% of offenders returning back to the correctional system after being released from prison, the Department of Corrections embraced this model in an effort to reduce recidivism. TPCI, or what is now referred to as the Missouri Reentry Process (MRP), focuses on appropriate assessment, outcome based programming during the offenders incarceration, intense preparation for release and continuity-of-care from prison to the community

In September, 2005 Governor Matt Blunt signed Executive Order 05-33 ordering and directing the Department of Corrections to lead a permanent interagency steering team for the Missouri Reentry Process. The mission of this team is to integrate successful offender reentry principles and practices in state agencies and communities resulting in partnerships that enhance offender self-sufficiency, reduce re-incarceration, and improve public safety.

Eight state agencies, Department of Corrections, Department of Social Services, Office of the State Courts Administrator, Department of Mental Health, Department of Revenue, Department of Health and Senior Services, Department of Economic Development, Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and representatives from the community have partnered to strengthen offender reentry practices. Offenders benefit from a mutual exchange of resources, expertise and experience among the participating departments. Offenders succeed through a seamless application of supervision strategies developed as they enter prison, implemented while incarcerated, and reinforced as they return to the community. In each phase offenders are held accountable for their behavior and responsible for their actions. Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to call my office at (573) 526-1664.

Sincerely,









Julie Boehm
Reentry Manager