Experts from local detention centers across the state discussed the strategies and planning that begins on day one to return a detained individual to the community following detention in a local facility. Some facilities even keep their doors open in case an individual is struggling in the community and needs to come back for help.
During the 2025 MACo Winter Conference session on behalf of the MACo Corrections Affiliate, local leaders in county detention centers discussed the types of services and planning that take place for individuals who have served their sentence and are preparing to return to their community. Specialists included Allegany Department of Corrections Reentry Coordinator Stephanie Brehm, Montgomery County Deputy Warden of Programs and Services, Kendra Jochum, and the Anne Arundel Superintendent of the Department of Corrections, Christopher Klein.
All presenters walked audience members through their local procedures which hinge on robust partnerships between multiple local government agencies and organizations in the wider community. While every program runs according to the needs and resources per jurisdictions they all touch on the primary components of successful reentry. Those six foundational pillars of reentry include:
- housing
- employment
- education/training
- health services
- family support
- community integration
Major concepts shared by each presenter were that it is imperative to meet the individual where they are, reserve assumptions and judgements, ease of transition is key, and make sure they know if they run into issues, to come back and ask for help.
The Allegany facility is the smaller of the three jurisdictions that were part of the presentation but is providing services and programming covering just as many needs. Their programing also has one unique feature where they have a program that assigns every eligible individual admitted to the facility to inpatient rehabilitation as part of their pretrial release program.
Montgomery also shared a unique element of their reentry programming which is the use of a Pre-Release and Reentry Services program housed in the 144-bed Pre-Release Center in Rockville, MD. So, while they have extensive program within the detention center, access to those types of resources and opportunities are also available in the community, which is something that is not as common in community corrections as it should be.
Superintendent Klein from Anne Arundel reiterated this point by sharing that corrections historically has been a place that said, “When you get out. Don’t come back. We don’t want to see you in here again.” This is something he is trying to get corrections, as a profession, to move away from and it will improve recidivism rates. The idea of getting out of trouble and staying out of trouble is still a valuable one but in reality it is not always that simple for every individual. A detention center can do everything in their power to set individuals up for success but they can not control everything that takes place outside their walls. When returning citizens start running into challenges or begin to struggle in the community, they should come back and ask for help, and the facilities should do what they can to meet them where they are to the best of their ability. With the dwindling resources available for detention centers, and the number of things the state is required to pay for but doesn’t, adding on another layer of services can be a challenge. But where there is room to incorporate a returned citizen into a facility based service they need, detention centers that can should try to comply.
- Title: The Reentry Bridge: Where Access Meets Opportunity
- Speakers: Christopher Klein, Superintendent, Anne Arundel County Detention Center, Stephanie Brehm, Reentry Coordinator, Allegany County Detention Center, Kendra Jochum, Deputy Warden of Programs and Services, Montgomery County Department of Corrections
- Moderator: The Honorable Aaron Kaufman, Maryland House of Delegates
More about MACo’s Winter Conference: