by form communities

One pattern, from booking to community.

Reentry is months of handoffs: jail, court, release, probation, housing, work. Each one has its own forms and its own language, and the person going through it starts over every time. CADENCE gives that person one pattern to carry through all of it, and gives everyone around them the same seven questions to ask.

  • NowLive today
  • NextBuilt from what already exists
  • PossibleNeeds partners
A sidewalk leading from a building toward a city at dawn.

Across the reentry path

  1. Booking

    The cycle is introduced at intake. Module 1 starts with court readiness and a first-day plan.

    Now

  2. In custody

    Twelve modules on the tablet, one a week. The success plan builds as they go.

    Now

  3. Release day

    The plan leaves with them as a printed card, with a named peer and a first meeting already set.

    Next

  4. First 90 days

    Weekly one-on-one time with a peer, working the plan with the same seven questions.

    Possible

  5. In community

    Graduates train as peers and become the people who meet the next person at release.

    Possible

What travels with the person

  • The cycle

    Seven steps they already know by the time they leave: Check, Attend, Decide, Experiment, Notice, Choose, Evaluate.

  • The success plan

    Built across twelve modules: the first week, the first month, the people in it, and what to do when something goes wrong.

  • The tools

    Short named steps for the situations that come up most: court, boundaries, asking for help, answering questions.

The same seven steps, on the day that matters most.

Release day is where the pattern gets tested. Here's what it can sound like in someone's head.

  1. CheckWhere am I sleeping tonight?
  2. AttendHousing, medication and my reporting date come first.
  3. DecideCall the shelter before noon.
  4. ExperimentNo bed. Go to the backup on my plan.
  5. NoticeI get stuck when I wait to ask.
  6. ChooseAsk early, with the words I wrote.
  7. EvaluateWhat would I change for tomorrow?

Repeat the pattern. Build momentum. Grow.

A peer at every handoff.

The course teaches the pattern. A peer helps someone keep using it once the structure of jail is gone, and has been through something similar themselves.

Form Communities already offers free one-on-one support from certified peer specialists with lived experience, with no insurance or referral needed. The next step is to connect that support to CADENCE.

Two people at a table working through a printed plan together.

  • Peer voices inside

    Peers with justice involvement appear in the course videos and examples, so the first peer a learner meets is on the tablet.

    Possible

  • Warm handoff

    Before release, the learner chooses whether to share their plan. If they do, a named peer is waiting for them.

    Possible

  • Working the plan

    Peers use the seven steps in one-on-one sessions. When something fails, they start from the plan the person already wrote.

    Possible

  • Partner sites

    Reentry centers and probation offices could host CADENCE peers on site, where people already have to go.

    Possible
The peer loop A cycle of three stages: a learner completes CADENCE inside, is supported by a peer after release, then trains as a peer and meets the next person. Learner Supported Peer The peer loop each graduate can meet the next person

Each person who finishes can become the person who meets the next one.

  1. 1Learner. Completes CADENCE inside.
  2. 2Supported. Meets a peer after release and works the plan together.
  3. 3Peer. Trains as a peer specialist and meets the next person at release.

One language for everyone involved.

When everyone asks the same seven questions, the person doesn't have to start over at every handoff.

  • The person

    Works through the cycle and keeps the plan.

  • Jail programs staff

    Make the course available. No facilitation needed.

  • Peers

    Know the cycle and the plan before the first meeting, and pick up where the course left off.

  • Probation and case managers

    Open check-ins with the plan and ask the same seven questions.

  • Community providers

    Pick up where the jail left off instead of starting over.

  • Family and supporters

    A short guide to the cycle, so they know what the person is practicing.

Next

The plan leaves with them, on one card.

At release, the plan is filled in from what the person wrote in the course and printed as a card they can keep in a pocket.

Help build what comes next.

The pieces marked Next and Possible need partners: reentry centers, probation and case management teams, community providers and funders. If that's you, Natalie would like to hear from you.

Email Natalie about partnering Bring CADENCE to your jail

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Natalie Williams

Natalie Williams

Program Director

natalie.williams@formcommunities.org