Introduction:

Returning citizens deserve access to real opportunities and support after they are released from incarceration. In Boston, we must do better to provide housing, job training, mental health resources, and other services to ensure those coming back to our community have the foundation they need to flourish. Past mistakes should not define someone’s future.

Under Mayor Walsh, Boston was a trailblazer in supporting the reentry process. In fact, we were a model for the rest of the nation. City Hall empowered non-profit leaders across the city, offering financial resources and political support to men and women with lived experience. Yet, in the half decade since Mayor Walsh led Boston, we have strayed far from this path and failed to maintain the momentum necessary to sufficiently serve formerly incarcerated people. 

As Mayor, Josh would renew Boston’s efforts to become a national leader for reentry services and violence deterrence. This effort starts with the people that work in City Hall. Lived experience in leading these efforts is critical to success and this should be a priority of the Office of Returning Citizens. The employees in this office must also be real allies for returning citizens. One meeting or information session is not enough; this office must be true advocates in assisting these members of our neighborhoods who find themselves reacclimating, in some cases after decades, to new relationships, technologies, financial responsibilities, and job markets.

We, as a city, need to provide our returning citizens with pathways to fulfilling careers, stable housing options, and social/emotional supports that are necessary for success. In partnership with local, state, and federal officials, we must begin working with men and women while they are still imprisoned and identify partnerships that have created meaningful relationships and proven impact. Finally, we must also collaborate closely with leaders in this community, to cultivate programming that will divert young people and emerging adults who come in contact with the legal system.

Josh has not just met and worked with formerly incarcerated community members, he has forged lasting friendships with them. These individuals have taught him about courage, as they have stood in the face of adversity with poise and determination. Additionally, Josh knows that beyond law enforcement, the reentry community is a crucial tool in preventing and disrupting violence in Boston. On countless occasions, Josh has witnessed the passion and demonstrated commitment  by those who have come home to share their experience and knowledge to ensure that the next generation does not make the same mistakes as them. And with that same fervor, Josh will work with the reentry community to provide a lasting foundation to prosper.

Real Partnership, Real Progress

In Boston, we are lucky to have a number of organizations that work tirelessly to improve outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals. These groups, many of which have been doing reentry work for decades, have cultivated strong, genuine connections in our neighborhoods. It is crucial to supplement the work of these groups through City Hall. Mayoral administrations come and go, so we must empower these groups to provide a lasting foundation for returning citizens. To do this, Josh will:

• Establish a Boston Reentry Network composed of academic institutions, local, state and federal officials, and nonprofits. This coalition will work with a wide-range of stakeholders to respond to challenges faced by the reentry community.
  • This group will be led by a board composed of the head of the Office of Returning Citizens, academic leaders, citizens who have successfully re-entered, nonprofit leaders, and law enforcement officials.  

• Rebuild and reimagine strong partnerships with local organizations, such as Justice4Housing, Petey Greene, the Tufts University Prison Initiative and others, to support their grassroots collaboration with men, women, and youth in the community.
  • While Mayor Wu and her administration have offered some of these organizations funding, real partnership requires active engagement not just financial support. Through close collaboration and honest communication, we can better serve the needs of the reentry community.
• Partner with local, state, and federal officials to create a systemized 90 day plan for every person approaching release from incarceration.
  • The process for reentry should not begin the day a man or woman steps out. Creating a coordinated approach, between all levels of government, that facilitates relationship and skill development prior to a release is crucial to individuals’ reentry process.
  • Each plan will include workshops to find stable housing, health care and mental health resources, professional development seminars, counseling to reconnect with family and friends post-release, and basic financial literacy training to manage banking and avoid predatory lenders.   
• Collaborate with Roxbury Community College, Bunker Hill Community College, and other local institutions to create viable partnerships for educational achievement.
  • Offering this community affordable, accessible avenues to the necessary certifications, diplomas, and credentials will be beneficial to formerly incarcerated people as well as the greater community.

Violence Deterrence and Operation Exit: 

Deterring the cycle of violence and creating multiple pathways for young people to thrive is crucial to the future of Boston. Past mayoral administrations have identified and empowered our community to effectively combat these issues. We must restore this momentum and cultivate a new era of violence prevention in Boston. To accomplish this, Josh will: 

• Reimplement and fund “Operation Exit,” providing system-involved youth with pathways to lucrative, stable professions.
  • This program, created by Mayor Walsh in 2014, offers young adults apprenticeship opportunities in the trades, web-development, and the culinary arts. Despite the success of this initiative, funding for this program ended under Mayor Wu.
  • Operation Exit, and similar programs, are not just beneficial for the community; they can change lives. One former participant noted that Operation Exit “[was] the best thing that ever happened to me.” 
• Focus on educating incarcerated youth, with a spotlight on 21st century and vocational skills.
  • With renewed attention towards close collaboration with the Department of Youth Services (DYS), Josh will push for an increase in programming for youth, ensuring they do not fall into a vicious cycle of criminal activity and prison.
• Lead a National Re-Entry Task Force with other Mayors from around the country.
  • This task force will focus on successes, challenges, areas for improvement, and other matters relating to reentry. Assembling a wide-range of voices will be an avenue for innovative solutions to support reentry work across the United States. 

Real-World Experience, It Matters: 

Lived experience should be a primary consideration when building out the Office of Returning Citizens. Firsthand knowledge of the numerous challenges facing these individuals, from employment concerns to the difficulties of family reconciliation, can be painful and emotional. For many returning citizens, it is crucial that these people can relate to and confide in the folks supporting them through their journey. To ensure we have the right personnel in the right places, Josh would: 

• Commit to appointing an individual with lived experience to lead the Office of Returning Citizens.
  • The Massachusetts Commissioner of Probation, Pamerson Ifill, has noted the importance of this, stating that having folks who have real-world knowledge of these challenges “is fundamentally important” to creating a successful system. 
• Form a commission to examine what areas of city government could benefit from hiring formerly incarcerated people who have demonstrably turned their lives around.
  • A recent report noted that 1 out of 10 city jobs in Boston are vacant, so we must think creatively about how we can effectively staff City Hall while also supporting the reentry community.
• Consult with leaders in the reentry space to hire dedicated employees that truly understand and appreciate the difficulties of returning home after incarceration.

Josh’s Background on Reentry Work

For Josh, this goes beyond just a policy proposal. More than a decade ago, two public servants approached Josh about investing in and supporting “Operation Exit.” These two officials, both of whom held high-level positions in law enforcement, believed that this initiative would be a valuable tool in preventing violence and offering new pathways for formerly incarcerated individuals. After learning more about “Operation Exit,” Josh collaborated closely with stakeholders to ensure the program received funding and operational support. What started as a program to financially assist an initiative became a passion for Josh, and he has since devoted a lot of his time and energy to assisting returning citizens in and around Boston. In recent years, Josh partnered with and sponsored a summit of local District Attorneys to discuss criminal justice reform in Massachusetts, and joined others in supporting a pioneering research study of reentry issues around the state. Through this work and these experiences, Josh has cultivated relationships with returning citizens, many of whom have become good friends.