Reentry Doesn’t Begin at Arrest. It’s Time to Stop Saying It Does.
For years, I’ve heard people say that reentry begins at arrest. You’ve probably heard it too. It’s a phrase meant to inspire early support for people in the criminal justice system. The only problem is that it is wrong.
The more I worked in this space, the more I saw the damage that phrase caused. When we call everything “reentry,” we lose sight of what truly helps people succeed once they walk out of prison. The truth is that reentry begins far later, right before release from incarceration, when people finally have the chance to plan for freedom.
Understanding that reentry, rehabilitation, and reintegration are unique concepts with different goals is vital to providing effective services. Getting that simple truth right could change how we build programs and fund reform.
The Origins of a Popular Phrase
Over the past two decades, organizations from the U.S. Department of Justice to state reentry councils have embraced the idea that “reentry begins at arrest.” Reports, training materials, and conferences have repeated it so often that it has become accepted wisdom (Collateral Consequences Resource Center, Shriver Center, and Urban Institute).
The intention behind it is good: encourage early intervention, highlight continuity of care, and remind practitioners that the reentry process should not begin on the day of release. But in practice, this phrase confuses timelines, mixes concepts, and blurs accountability across systems.
When everything becomes “reentry,” the term loses meaning. And when language loses meaning, programs lose focus.
Three Concepts, One Common Confusion
To understand the problem, we need to separate three related but distinct processes that are often lumped together.
- Reintegration
The process of rebuilding social ties, restoring identity, and being accepted again as a full member of the community. - Rehabilitation
The process of helping people change behavior, build skills, and address the underlying causes of engaging in criminal behavior. It includes education, treatment, and therapy. - Reentry
The transition from incarceration back into the community. It focuses on practical needs such as housing, identification, healthcare, and employment.
As top researchers like Joan Petersilia, Daniel Mears, Joshua Cochran, Francis Cullen, and Mark Lipsey have shown, reentry specifically refers to the moment of transition. It cannot logically begin at arrest because at that point, there is no release to prepare for and no certainty about the outcome of the case.
Why Timing Matters
Imagine trying to line up a job or secure housing while you are awaiting trial. You do not yet know whether you will be convicted, how long you will be incarcerated, or even what your future community placement might be.
Planning for reentry requires proximity to release. Rehabilitation and reintegration can begin much earlier.
Rehabilitation begins once correctional authorities have the legal and ethical standing to intervene. Reintegration begins the moment stigma attaches (often right after arrest) when knowledge of the person’s arrest becomes public.
Recognizing these differences is not just theoretical. It affects funding, evaluation, and human lives. A program mislabeled as “reentry” but delivered at the point of arrest may be judged by the wrong outcomes. Policymakers might claim success based on good intentions rather than on measurable improvements in post-release stability.
The Risks of Blurred Boundaries
When practitioners say “reentry begins at arrest,” they often mean that support should begin early. And that is true. Early intervention is essential. But calling everything “reentry” creates three specific problems:
- It undermines due process. Intervening at arrest under the banner of “reentry” assumes guilt before conviction.
- It distorts evaluation. Programs are judged by reentry metrics that may not apply to their reintegration or rehabilitation services.
- It weakens focus. Agencies divide resources between pretrial and post-release needs without clear prioritization.
Precision in language creates precision in policy. If we use the right terms at the right stages, we can better measure what works and protect the integrity of each intervention.
A Better Way to Say It
Instead of saying “reentry begins at arrest,” a more accurate and responsible phrase would be:
“Support begins at arrest, reentry begins just before release”
This slogan preserves the spirit of early engagement while keeping the concept of reentry grounded in its true purpose: preparing people to return home successfully. It acknowledges that care and case management can and should start early, but that the reentry process itself is distinct and time-bound.
Why Words Matter
Language guides action. In the criminal justice field, terminology shapes grants, training, and cross-agency coordination. When we use the wrong word, we unintentionally send the wrong signal about priorities.
Defining reintegration as social acceptance, rehabilitation as treatment, and reentry as transition helps align systems toward the right goals at the right moments. It protects the presumption of innocence, ensures that resources are targeted where they are most effective, and respects the lived experience of those who are actually moving through these stages.
Moving Forward
It is time to stop saying that reentry begins at arrest. That phrase was born from compassion, but it muddies the conversation and confuses the mission. Support can and should begin the moment someone enters the criminal justice system. Reentry, however, begins when they prepare to leave confinement.
Getting this language right is more than semantics. It is about designing systems that match interventions to real human timelines and create conditions for genuine success after incarceration.
If we want better outcomes, we have to start by speaking clearly about what we mean.
Jonathan Morgan
Founder, JustDatalytics, Florida Justice Center, CLEAR Review Board | Dean’s Fellow & PhD Candidate, University of Cincinnati | Criminal Justice Researcher | Reform Advocate | Formerly Incarcerated.
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