ReEntry Mediation Institute of Louisiana

The ReEntry Mediation Institute of Louisiana seeks to decrease recidivism rates and improve a person's transition home from incarceration with the sustainable support of positive relationships with loved ones.

Prison re-entry mediation provides an opportunity for an incarcerated individual and family members or other support people to meet, with the help of non-judgmental mediators, before release to have an open, honest, and often difficult dialogue to prepare for the transition back into the community. Sometimes there is lingering conflict from before the incarceration. Sometimes there is resentment, anger, and shame as a result of the charge or things which took place during the incarceration. Re-entry mediation allows everyone involved to talk about their experiences, be heard by each other, and establish a plan on how to move forward productively before the individual is released. Re-entry mediation provides a chance to manage divergent expectations for all participants through a discussion of issues and resolution of, or prevention of, conflicts. By rebuilding relationships between incarcerated individuals and family or support people in the community, Re-entry mediation taps into the resources indigenous to the community, strengthens these connections, and allows for collaborative transition planning.

Re-entry mediation is a crucial opportunity for the community to interrupt the cycle of incarceration, rebuild familial relationships, and support formerly incarcerated people from the most disenfranchised areas to fully participate in their communities. Because many re-entry mediation participants experience mental health issues and substance use that create interpersonal conflicts when returning home from incarceration, this service can help them collaboratively develop a plan that addresses those concerns.

In addition to pre- and post-release re-entry mediation services, we also facilitate conflict resolution workshops for individuals ages 12-17 and 18-24. Collaborative conflict management is based on believing that people- no matter their age- are experts in their own conflicts and can develop solutions together. Graduates of our conflict resolution series are offered internships and AmeriCorps opportunities to train and lead others, job skills training through our partners, and opportunities to become mediators among their peers in schools, communities, juvenile detention centers, and prisons.

Testimonials

Our program replicates the prison re-entry mediation program developed by Community Mediation Maryland, which sets national best practice standards in the Inclusive Mediation Model.

In post-mediation surveys of 2,842 participants in Community Mediation Maryland's (CMM) Prison Re-entry Mediation Program, 91% of participants reported that mediation helped them understand the other participant better, and 89% felt better understood by their fellow participants. Three months later, the majority of respondents reported that communication with the other party was better, that the incarcerated individual was more prepared to return home, and that they had more hope for the future because of mediation.

Independent evaluation of 282 individuals who participated in prison re-entry mediation conducted by CMM from 2008 to 2014 found that the probability of a new criminal conviction decreased by 15% after a single mediation session and an additional 9% reduction for each additional session.