The Chester County Criminal Justice Advisory Board (CJAB) held a kickoff meeting of the Chester County Reentry Coalition on June 1 to develop a strategic plan that supports those reintegrating into the community after being in prison. The meeting was led by Melanie Snyder, consultant on re-entry, trauma, resilience and trauma-informed care.

In addition to county court-related departments, the Reentry Coalition partners include county human services and health departments, treatment agencies, state and federal agencies, law enforcement, faith-based groups, community groups and re-entrants.

The Reentry Coalition will provide a continuum of services - ranging from mentoring to community, mental health and substance use disorder support - that begin when an offender is sentenced, continuing through incarceration and release to the community.

Over the coming months, members of the Reentry Coalition will meet to prepare and review the strategic plan, and CJAB hopes to finalize it for implementation by the end of 2023.