Beyond its partner at Clarifi, STAR features a diverse group of criminal justice system professionals representing organizations that provide high-impact services to program participants. These professionals and organizations include federal judges Timothy R. Rice and Luis Felipe Restrepo, the United States Probation Office, the Federal Community Defender Office, the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, dozens of volunteer law students and attorneys, and Fox School of Business financial literacy tutors.
Of the program’s 264 graduates, only 10 percent have had their supervision revoked, compared with the district’s 29.2 percent revocation rate for similarly situated individuals on federal supervision. By STAR’s estimations, this has not only saved supervision time for returning citizens, but has also saved taxpayers $2 million each year based on the annual cost of imprisonment. The program has rightfully earned national recognition, demonstrating that providing someone with the ability to navigate systems and access resources can prevent them from resorting to criminal activity to solve their financial woes.
What’s unique about STAR, in addition to the coordinated support, is that it also provides individuals with tangible assets. Participants who complete the work with their counselor can receive grants up to $1,000, which can have a significant impact on their ability to access housing, as many low-income Philadelphians, and especially returning citizens, often struggle to obtain the standard first/last/security deposit payment.
While reentry reform will not solve the disparities that exist within our criminal justice system, it is one piece of a complex puzzle that requires everyone to solve.
Mitchell Little is the executive director of the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Community Empowerment and Opportunity; Steve Gardner is the president and executive director of Clarifi.