Connection to ongoing, community-based services is strongly linked with reduced recidivism, but to reliably support people in making those connections is fraught with barriers. This talk will describe a collaborative effort among academic, criminal justice, and consulting entities to identify and implement best practices in community transition planning and community partner engagement for rural and frontier jails in Colorado. It will conclude with lessons learned for implementing best practices in a rural setting.

Learning Objectives:

• List best practice methods for reentry and transition planning in a rural jail setting
• Describe the key needs and gaps in rural jail settings that contribute to the reentry barriers
• Explore community resources that can be leveraged in rural jail settings to support the most effective continuity of care

Level: Intermediate