In March of 2006, meetings began between the Sheriff and Probation to discuss the high rates of criminal recidivism in Orange County and to identify a collaborative strategy to reverse the trend. Both agencies had been plagued by demands for services that exceed their agencies available resource capabilities. Funding in Orange County for rehabilitation programs has always been a major challenge and, to complicate matters, both agencies have experienced difficulty in recruiting and retaining employees for these purposes. It had become clear that a collaborative approach to rehabilitating Orange County's criminal offenders would be their best hope for making a meaningful impact on recidivism.
It has been estimated that up to one third of persons released from custody onto formal probation do not keep their first probation appointment. State and national studies have indicated that roughly 75 percent of persons released from jails and prisons re-offend with three years of their release. Even those who actively engage in programming while in custody typically re-offend if they are not provided similar program opportunities after release. On the other hand, statistics indicate that persons who are seamlessly transitioned from custody into community based programs are only 25% likely to re-offend during that same three year period.
With this information in mind, The Orange County Sheriff's Department and Orange County Probation Department began to develop a re-entry strategy to close the gaps that exist between the time of release and the accessing of community-based services designed to enhance a successful reintegration to the community. One of the first projects undertaken was the formation of the Orange County Re-Entry Partnership (OCREP). The Sheriff, Probation, Courts, District Attorney, Public Defender, Health Care Agency and CDCR rallied forty government agencies, private companies and non-profit organizations to examine Orange Countys current inmate re-entry practices and to improve the community-based services provided to persons who are released from jail or prison. At OCREPs first meeting on June 1st, 2006, the Partnership discussed the needs of the formerly incarcerated and received valuable input from several men and women who had recently been released from jail or prison.
Today OCREP is a strong collaboration of over 210 agencies and organizations dedicated to reducing criminal recidivism in Orange County by creating linkages between the formerly incarcerated and the community based programs available to help them.
A structured OCREP Advisory Board was created and this group meets monthly to discuss issues pertaining to re-entry. The Board has members from the treatment community, employment community, education community, and consumers, as well as Agency Representatives from the Sheriff's, Probation and Parole Departments. OCREP also holds bi-monthly general membership meetings where all of the key stakeholders in Orange County participate in improving developing ways to improve re-entry services for our county. These meetings include guest speakers, grant information, community announcements and networking opportunities.
In 2014, OCREP, Returning Home Foundation, and 211OC partnered to create a website for both the members of OCREP and consumers. Individuals will now be able to search the website to locate a variety of services offered which include housing, employment, clothing, treatment, food, etc. Check out the link on our homepage to connect you!
In December of 2016, OCREP became a fiscally sponsored project of OneOC, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. This will enable OCREP to pursue funding for various community projects and events.
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