PROJECT RECONNECT
Recovery. Reentry. Reintegration.
Project Reconnect is a collaborative recovery, reentry, and reintegration initiative of Maine Reentry Network (MERN) and Chance to Change Consulting.
Our Vision
We envision communities where incarceration is not the first response to every substance-use-related crisis, where people leaving jail have a plan and a person to turn to, and where law enforcement, corrections, recovery organizations, treatment providers, and community partners work together rather than in isolation.
Before Jail — Intercept & Connect
In Jail — Engage & Prepare
After Jail — Reenter & Stabilize
More Than Reentry
Our work doesn't begin at the jail door.
Many individuals who come into contact with the criminal justice system have underlying needs related to substance use, housing instability, employment, mental health, transportation, identification, benefits, and other barriers.
Project Reconnect works across systems to help identify those needs and build connections to services.
Our approach follows a continuum:
BEFORE JAIL
Intercept. Divert. Connect.
When appropriate, we want to help create pathways that connect individuals to treatment, recovery support, and community resources before their needs result in deeper justice-system involvement.
DURING INCARCERATION
Engage. Prepare. Build a Plan.
Project Reconnect can begin working with individuals while they are incarcerated to identify barriers, establish goals, connect resources, and begin preparing for a successful return to the community.
AFTER RELEASE
Reenter. Stabilize. Thrive.
The transition back into the community can be one of the most vulnerable periods in a person's journey. We provide continued navigation, peer support, resource connection, and follow-up to help individuals turn a release plan into real-world stability.
Our mission is simple: connect people affected by substance use and justice-system involvement to the right support at the right time before incarceration, during incarceration, and after release.
We believe successful reentry should not begin on the day someone walks out of jail. And whenever safe, appropriate, and legally possible, intervention should begin before someone enters jail at all.
Partner With Project Reconnect
Project Reconnect welcomes collaboration with county jails, law enforcement agencies, treatment and recovery providers, community organizations, employers, housing partners, and other organizations committed to improving recovery and reentry outcomes.
Together, we can create stronger connections, reduce barriers, and build pathways that lead people toward recovery, stability, and successful community reintegration.