Nearly 350 people attended the third-annual Reentry United conference was held Sept. 20, at the E.V. Eberhard Center in downtown Grand Rapids. This year's event also was opened up to guests from out of state. Members from corrections departments in seven other states attended the event to gain tips and best practices from programs and services in Michigan that they can take back to their home states. State corrections departments attending this year's event include Louisiana, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia.

Those who attended were able to participate in breakout sessions, panel discussions, hear success stories from those who reentered society, and listen to keynote speakers Michigan Department of Corrections Director Heidi Washington and From Prison to PhD founder Stanley Andrisse. More than a dozen vendor booths also were available for attendees to visit during networking break sessions.

In partnership with the Michigan Department of Corrections, Michigan Works! West Central held the first-ever Reentry United conference in November 2023. Nearly 250 people from across Michigan attended the event.

The inaugural conference was so well received, the partnering organizations agreed to make it an annual event. The goal of the conference is to highlight successful partnerships, programs and services that can benefit returning citizens, as well as generate discussion to open the door for further partnership on reentry initiatives.

The annual conference features breakout sessions and panel discussions on topics such as services for justice-involved individuals, successful collaboration with MDOC and returning citizens, mentoring programs, reentry grants, trauma, the future of reentry, success stories and more! Pictures from the 2024 event can be found above.

To keep up to date on the lineup of Reentry United events held inside correctional facilities, the annual conference and other information affecting justice-involved individuals, sign up for the quarterly Reentry United eNewsletter. Receive the latest information about all things Reentry United by clicking here.