4.6: Halfway Houses

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Halfway houses (also called “community correction centers” or “residential reentry centers” by the federal Bureau of Prisons) are used mostly as an intermediate housing option to help a person return from prison to the community after he has served a prison sentence. Sometimes, though, halfway houses can be used instead of prison or jail, usually when a person’s sentence is very short. For example, halfway houses may be a good choice when a person has served time in prison, been released on parole, and then violated a parole condition and been ordered to serve a few months additional time for that violation. While in halfway houses, offenders are monitored and must fulfill conditions placed on them by the court. Usually, offenders must remain inside the halfway house except when they are going to court or to a job.

image depicting how institutions asses inmates fitness for residential reentry centers, also known as halfway houses

Figure 4.1 Bureau of Prisons' Process for Placing Inmates into Residential Reentry Centers (RRC) and Home Confinement. Image is in the public domain.