Reentry after prison is mostly logistics. There is an ID to replace before a job application will go through, an address to find before the ID office will mail anything, a check-in date, a court date, a benefits appointment, and offices that close at 4. Every step depends on another one, and nobody hands over the order.
On September 14 we launched Free and Forward, a free reentry app that turns that list into a plan: a 27-step checklist in the order things actually happen, a calendar for check-ins and court dates, goals, and a directory of resources. It runs on the web at app.freeandforward.com, on the App Store and on Google Play, in English and Spanish. This guide covers what makes reentry after prison hard, what the recidivism numbers actually measure, and where an app fits and where it does not.
What reentry after prison actually involves
Reentry is the word for the move from prison or jail back into the community. From the outside it looks like one day: release day. From the inside, reentering society after prison is a long list of small tasks with dates on them, and many of them have to happen in a set order.
The first few weeks can include:
- Replacing a state ID or driver's license, which often needs a birth certificate and a Social Security card first
- Finding somewhere to live, or meeting the rules of a halfway house or program
- Reporting to a probation or parole officer on a schedule, plus court dates, classes or tests
- Applying for health coverage and food assistance
- Looking for work, which usually needs an ID, an address and a phone number first
None of those is hard on its own. The hard part is that they stack. The job needs the ID, the ID needs the birth certificate, and the birth certificate needs an address to be mailed to. We map that chain step by step in Getting Your ID After Prison: The Order That Saves You Weeks.
The biggest barriers to reentry after prison
Ask anyone who works in reentry and you hear the same short list:
- Documents. Without ID, almost nothing else moves: housing applications, benefits, work, even picking up a prescription.
- Housing. Applications get denied over a record, and many programs have waitlists. See Housing With a Record: What Works When Applications Keep Getting Denied.
- Work. Employers ask about records, and a job search needs a phone number, an address and an ID before it can start. See Second Chance Employers: How to Find the Companies That Actually Hire.
- Health coverage and benefits. Medicaid and SNAP rules differ by state, and each has its own deadlines. See Benefits After Release: SNAP, Medicaid, and What You Can Apply For.
- Supervision conditions. Check-ins, curfews, drug tests, fees, classes and court dates, each on its own schedule.
- Keeping track of all of it. Everything above lands in the same few weeks, often before there is a phone, a calendar or a safe place to keep papers.
That last barrier gets talked about the least, and it is the one we built Free and Forward around.
What does recidivism mean?
Recidivism means coming back into contact with the justice system after a conviction. The catch is that studies count it in different ways. Some count a new arrest, some count a new conviction, and some count a return to prison, which can happen without any new crime at all. So there is no single recidivism rate. The number depends on what is being counted, in which state, and over how many years. Our guide What Recidivism Statistics Actually Say, and What They Leave Out walks through the differences.
How many people are arrested again after release?
The newest Bureau of Justice Statistics study of people released from state prisons followed people released in 2012 across 34 states. It found that 37% were arrested at least once within the first year after release (BJS, Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 34 States in 2012, published 2021). BJS has not yet published a newer release group.
Two things are worth knowing about that number. An arrest is not a conviction, and it is not a return to prison.
Why do people go back to prison?
Many people go back for avoidable reasons: a missed appointment, a missed deadline, paperwork that never got done. The Council of State Governments Justice Center reports that about 40% of state prison admissions in 2023 came from probation and parole violations, including more than 110,000 admissions for technical violations (CSG Justice Center, Supervision Violations and Their Impact on Incarceration, 2025 report, 2023 data).
A technical violation means breaking a rule of supervision, such as missing a check-in or an appointment, rather than committing a new crime. Our guides How to Avoid a Technical Violation: Check-ins, Court Dates, and Your Documents and Supervised Release Violations: What Actually Sends People Back go into the details.
What people need when they get out of prison: a plan, in order
Free and Forward started with one person's first weeks home.
"I came home from incarceration into a halfway house with a folder of paperwork and no idea what was due first. I built Free and Forward so the next person gets handed a plan instead." (Adam Scrivner, founder and CEO of Free and Forward)
A plan means three things: what comes first, what depends on what, and when each thing is due. For the full sequence, read What to Do in Your First 90 Days After Release: A Step-by-Step Checklist. For the first few days, read Your First 72 Hours Home: A Checklist That Actually Fits the Time.
Free and Forward: a free reentry app for the first weeks home
Free and Forward puts that plan on a phone. These parts are free for good, with no card:
- A 27-step reentry checklist in the order things actually happen (ID, housing, health coverage, legal steps and work), with a due date on each step
- A calendar for check-ins, court dates, classes and deadlines, including recurring events
- Phone reminders (app notifications) for your calendar events and checklist deadlines
- Goals you set yourself, with progress
- Backup and sync, so a lost phone does not mean a lost plan
- A resources directory with links for housing, benefits, health coverage, legal aid, 211, IDs and more
Phone reminders come through the App Store and Google Play apps. On the web, reminders come by email, which is part of Basic.
Upgrades are optional one-time purchases. Nothing renews. Website prices:
- Basic, $9.99: email reminders (the only kind of reminder on the web), a document vault, a resume builder, and photo to PDF
- Plus, $24.99: a job board, an application tracker, and data export
- Premium, $34.99: AI help with resumes, cover letters and job matching, an AI letter writer, and AI calendar scheduling, with 45 shared credits (50 more credits cost $9.99)
Prices inside the App Store and Google Play apps are about 30% higher, because Apple and Google take a cut. Free and Forward is available in the United States, in English and Spanish, on the web, the App Store and Google Play. Open the free app in your browser.
What the app does not do
We do not claim this app reduces recidivism. It is built to make the everyday work of reentry, the documents, the dates and the next step, easier to keep track of. It is not a reentry program, a lawyer, a caseworker or a job-placement service. The job board is a list of openings you can browse and save, not a promise of a job.
It is also not a monitoring tool. Nothing in the app is shared with probation, parole or any agency. Document photos are encrypted on your phone before they are uploaded, and we store only the encrypted file. The key that opens it is created on your device and is never sent to us. Free and Forward is not affiliated with any government agency, court or supervision authority.
For families, mentors and reentry programs
A lot of reentry happens with help from a parent, a partner, a sponsor or a caseworker. The app is built for the person to use on their own, and a helper can sit with them while they set it up. If you are helping someone get started, see how to set someone up.
Organizations can try it at no cost. Reentry nonprofits, halfway houses, probation and parole offices, courts and workforce programs that are new to Free and Forward can request 10 free Premium codes to try with the people they serve. There is no card and no contract, and the ten people who use the codes keep access for good. A demo account is available the same day. Details are at freeandforward.com/organizations.
Reentry after prison: common questions
What is reentry after prison?
Reentry is the process of returning to the community after prison or jail: getting identification, housing, health coverage and work in place while meeting any probation or parole conditions. Much of it happens in the first weeks and months after release.
What does recidivism mean?
Recidivism means returning to the justice system after a conviction. Depending on the study, it is measured as a new arrest, a new conviction or a return to prison, so recidivism rates from different studies are not directly comparable.
What percentage of people are arrested again after release from prison?
In the newest Bureau of Justice Statistics study of people released from state prisons (released in 2012, across 34 states), 37% were arrested at least once within the first year. An arrest is not the same as a conviction or a return to prison.
What is a technical violation?
A technical violation is breaking a condition of probation or parole, such as missing a check-in or an appointment, rather than committing a new crime. The CSG Justice Center reports more than 110,000 state prison admissions for technical violations in 2023.
What do people need first after getting out of prison?
Usually identification, a place to stay, a way to be reached, and a clear list of dates: check-ins, court dates and benefit appointments. The order matters, because many steps depend on others. Our first 90 days checklist lays out the sequence.
Is Free and Forward free?
Yes. The checklist, calendar, phone reminders, goals, backup and sync, and the resources directory are free, with no card and no time limit. Upgrades are optional one-time purchases that never renew.
Does Free and Forward share anything with probation or parole?
No. Nothing in the app is shared with probation, parole or any agency.
Does Free and Forward reduce recidivism?
We do not claim this app reduces recidivism. It is a tool for keeping track of the dates, documents and next steps that reentry after incarceration involves.
Get started with Free and Forward
Free and Forward is free to start, with no card. Open it in any browser at app.freeandforward.com, or download it from the App Store or Google Play. También en español: freeandforward.com/es.
Never forget the past. Learn from it. Move free and forward.
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