Reentry Guides for Service Providers
In 2025, nearly 1.9 million people are currently incarcerated in the United States and about 1 in 3 adults has a criminal record – up to 100 million people. The vast majority, around 95%, of incarcerated people will at some point return to their families and communities.
People returning from incarceration often face extensive and ongoing legal barriers, sometimes known as “collateral consequences.” Laws and policies that create restrictions based on criminal record extend the impact of legal system involvement well beyond the completion of a sentence, limiting the exercise of civil rights such as voting and access to housing, employment, and basic needs provided via public assistance programs.
These guides are designed to educate service providers about key legal and policy restrictions affecting the people they serve and to offer guidance and resources on navigating these restrictions. The guides are informational and are not a substitute for individualized legal advice.
Guides
Child Support
This guide explains how child support enforcement can affect people returning from incarceration, including debt license suspension, wage garnishment, and other legal consequences. It provides service providers with practical information to help clients address child support obligations and pursue greater stability.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Food and Cash Assistance Programs
This guide helps service providers connect people returning from incarceration to the community with food, financial assistance, and other public benefits by explaining eligibility, application processes, and common barriers.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Medicaid
This guide explains why Medicaid coverage is important during reentry and provides information to help service providers connect clients with medical, mental health, and substance use disorder services. Access to coverage can support health, stability, employment, and successful community reintegration.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Employment
This guide examines legal and social barriers to employment for people with criminal records, highlights the benefits of fair-chance hiring, and provides service providers with practical strategies and resources to help clients pursue stable employment.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Housing
This guide provides an overview of federal, state, local, private, transitional, and temporary housing options in North Carolina, explains how a criminal record can affect eligibility, and offers strategies for responding to denials and expanding access to housing.
Last reviewed: September 2026
Traffic Fines, Fees, & Driver's License Suspensions
This guide helps service providers assist clients with unresolved traffic cases, including checking case and driver's license status, pursuing payment plans and relief options, and accessing relevant forms, references, and contacts.
Last reviewed: September 2026
About the Guides
These guides were developed as a part of the North Carolina Technical Assistance Center (NC-TAC). NC-TAC created to provide consultation, coaching, training, and educational resources to organizations that support individuals at risk of incarceration and overdose.
Supported by the NC Department of Health and Human Services’ (NCDHHS) Division of Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, and Substance Use Services (DMH/DD/SUS), NC-TAC was a collaboration between the NC Formerly Incarcerated Transition Program (NC FIT), the NC Harm Reduction Coalition (NCHRC), the NC Association of County Commissioners (NCACC), and the Wilson Center for Science and Justice at Duke Law. The team included law and policy experts, physicians, public health practitioners, community health workers, law enforcement officers, harm reduction experts, and evaluation specialists with many decades of combined experience.
NC-TAC concluded providing technical assistance services in September 2026. All of NC-TAC’s resources are available here.
Questions or Feedback?
If you have questions or feedback about these guides, contact Marcus Pollard.