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News, research, and what actually helps

Second-chance hiring, clean slate laws, and what peer-reviewed research says about reducing recidivism — no overstatement, sources linked.

Reentry guide · August 17, 2026
First Step Act Earned Time Credits: How They Actually Work in 2026
FSA time credits are the most misunderstood part of a federal sentence. Here is what earns them, what disqualifies you, how they get applied, and the questions to ask your case manager.
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Reentry guide · August 15, 2026
Job Fairs Are Reconnecting People With Employers Who Actually Want Them
This spring, cities from Minnesota to New York ran job fairs built specifically around fair-chance hiring — and turnout shows real momentum.
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Reentry guide · August 10, 2026
RDAP: Who Qualifies, What the Year Off Really Means, and How to Apply
The Residential Drug Abuse Program can take up to twelve months off a federal sentence. Eligibility, the documentation that decides your case, and the mistakes that cost people a spot.
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Research · August 8, 2026
The National Reincarceration Rate Has Dropped 20% in a Decade
New figures from the CSG Justice Center show reincarceration rates falling nationally — a sign that reentry investment is paying off.
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Research · August 3, 2026
Supervised Release Violations: What Actually Sends People Back
Most people who return to custody are not reoffending. They are missing appointments, failing to report, and losing paperwork. What technical violations actually look like and how to avoid them.
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Reentry guide · August 1, 2026
Illinois Becomes the 13th State With a Clean Slate Law
In February, Illinois passed automatic record-sealing legislation expected to eventually affect an estimated 2 million people.
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Research · July 27, 2026
What Recidivism Statistics Actually Say — and What They Leave Out
The headline numbers get quoted constantly and understood rarely. What rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration actually measure, and why employment and housing move the numbers most.
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Research · July 25, 2026
What the Research Actually Says About Reentry Programs
A meta-analysis of 53 studies found reentry programs reduce recidivism by about 6% on average — and pinpointed what actually makes the difference.
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Reentry guide · July 20, 2026
Halfway House vs. Home Confinement: What the Difference Means for You
Prerelease custody comes in two forms with very different daily realities. What each involves, how placement decisions get made, and what you can do to influence yours.
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Reentry guide · July 18, 2026
Michigan's Clean Slate Law Just Turned Five — Here's What It Did
Nearly 1.5 million convictions cleared and counting — a five-year retrospective from Safe & Just Michigan.
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Reentry guide · July 13, 2026
Getting Your ID After Prison: The Order That Saves You Weeks
You cannot get a state ID without a birth certificate and Social Security card, and you cannot do much of anything without the ID. The dependency chain, and how to start it before release.
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Research · July 11, 2026
Program Completion Cuts Recidivism by More Than Half, Massachusetts Study Finds
A Massachusetts DOC analysis found that completing educational, vocational, and treatment programming significantly lowered one-year recidivism.
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Reentry guide · July 6, 2026
Second Chance Employers: How to Find the Companies That Actually Hire
Fair chance hiring lists are everywhere and most are outdated. How to tell a real second-chance employer from a press release, which industries hire most consistently, and two incentives to name in an interview.
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Reentry guide · July 4, 2026
A New Federal Bill Would Fund Expungement Access Nationwide
The Fresh Start Act would create a $50 million federal grant program to help states build automatic record-clearing systems.
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Research · June 29, 2026
Ban the Box in 2026: What It Does and What It Does Not
Fair chance hiring laws now cover most of the country in some form. What they actually require, where they apply, and why the background check still happens.
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Research · June 27, 2026
The Simplest Intervention With the Strongest Evidence: Reminders
Randomized trials in New York City, Santa Clara County, and across Arkansas all found the same thing — a simple reminder measurably cuts missed appointments.
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Reentry guide · June 22, 2026
Expungement and Record Sealing: Where to Actually Start
Clean slate laws have expanded significantly. The difference between expungement, sealing, and set-aside, plus how to find out what you might qualify for without paying anyone first.
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Reentry guide · June 20, 2026
Employers Are Banding Together to Hire People With Records
From Second Chance Tucson to a growing national network, companies that hire formerly incarcerated workers are organizing to help others do the same.
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Reentry guide · June 15, 2026
Housing With a Record: What Works When Applications Keep Getting Denied
Housing is the hardest single problem after release and the one that destabilizes everything else. Transitional options, what landlords can and cannot do, and how to build an application that gets through.
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Research · June 13, 2026
Local Economic Conditions Measurably Affect Recidivism
Research by economists Ozkan Eren and Emily Owens found a direct link between local job market strength and lower reoffending.
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Reentry guide · June 8, 2026
Benefits After Release: SNAP, Medicaid, and What You Can Apply For
Food assistance and health coverage are available to most people leaving incarceration, and many states now start enrollment before release. What to apply for and when.
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Reentry guide · June 6, 2026
Missouri's Clean Slate Act Clears a Major Hurdle
After three years of failed attempts, a Missouri bill to automatically expunge nonviolent convictions passed the House 140 to 7.
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Research · June 1, 2026
Why the First Ninety Days Decide So Much
Risk of return is heavily concentrated in the earliest period after release. What the research says about that window, and what it implies about how to spend it.
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Research · May 30, 2026
Being Honest About What Doesn't Always Work
Not every reentry intervention shows results — and being upfront about that matters more than overpromising.
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Reentry guide · May 25, 2026
Your First 72 Hours Home: A Checklist That Actually Fits the Time
Most release-day advice is a wish list nobody can complete. This is what genuinely has to happen in the first three days, in order, and what can wait until next week.
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Research · May 23, 2026
Why an ID Card Is the First Domino
In one 2019–20 period, more than half of people released in Hawaii left without an ID — and almost nothing else can happen until that's fixed.
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Free and Forward is an informational and organizational tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or operating on behalf of any court, department of corrections, probation or parole department, or law enforcement agency, and it does not submit anything on your behalf. Always confirm court dates, check-ins and legal deadlines directly with your supervising officer, your attorney, or the agency involved.