Through ICM, case managers worked with participants who were incarcerated to determine their needs and goals and to establish reentry plans for support after release. After participants’ release from prison, case managers connected them to mental and physical health treatment, employment, education, and housing services. Participants had access to 24-hour case management and no limits on the duration of participation. Mental and physical health treatment services included mental health, substance abuse, and medical and dental treatment.

ABE provided participants with basic education services. For participants who were reading below a ninth-grade level at program entry, the services focused on elevating their reading skills. If a participant was already at or achieved a ninth-grade reading level during the program, they attended adult secondary education classes focused on preparation for GED exams. Participants also took literacy and cognitive life skills classes. A participant could enroll in one or more ABE classes, which varied in duration.

Program participants were sorted into services based on education and college readiness at enrollment. Adults with a high school diploma or GED whose Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE) reflected a 9th-to-12th-grade score equivalency received case management and college readiness training in preparation for subsequent enrollment in occupational training. If participants with a high-school-level TABE score were not enrolled in school and did not have a high school diploma or GED, they received accelerated GED preparation and occupational training simultaneously.

The program’s curriculum focused on real-world applications of the English language, such as talking about the weather or making phone calls. Participants in the intervention condition attended classes for 6 hours per week over a 15-week semester, in either the fall or spring. Classes were offered in morning and evening sessions at a local middle school or community center. The program served immigrants in Framingham, MA, who were learning English as a second language.

Twenty-four grantees offered the RExO program, including national nonprofits, faith-based community organizations, community health organizations, and local or regional nonprofits. The exact bundle of services each grantee provided varied significantly. In all programs, case managers coordinated service delivery and supported participants. Most grantees offered group mentoring for participants, and a smaller subset offered individual mentoring.