Reentry Ecology
A systems-based framework for disrupting post-carceral barriers and building sustainable reentry pathways. Moving beyond individual blame - Reentry Ecology recognizes the ecological, structural, and historical forces that shape reentry outcomes.
What is Reentry Ecology?
The Concept
Reentry Ecology is an original framework developed by Dr. Ashley R. Goldon, DSW that reimagines how we understand the challenges facing formerly incarcerated individuals.
Instead of focusing solely on personal risk factors, Reentry Ecology examines the full system of influences — from community dynamics and institutional barriers to historical injustices and policy failures — that shape reentry success or failure.
This framework calls for systemic, not just individual, solutions.
Our Theoretical Foundation
Reentry Ecology is a framework that reframes recidivism as a systems outcome—instead of personal failure alone. It applies Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory to the carceral continuum, showing how people’s reentry outcomes are shaped by layered, interlocking forces across micro, meso, and macro levels. It is informed by public health, human centered design, social work, systems thinking, and—most importantly—the lived experiences of people who have returned home.
Our Vision
Reentry Ecology does not seek to improve the current system. It seeks to expose its architecture—and offer an alternative.
We don’t need more programs. We need a coordinated ecosystem.
References
Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.
Goldon, A. (2024). Collective Carceral Impact: An ecological framework for understanding post-carceral barriers (Doctoral capstone project). University of Southern California, Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work.
The Problem with the Traditional Approach...
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Reentry Ecology shows that reentry outcomes are not isolated events — they are the product of a much larger ecosystem of forces. Our framework applies systems thinking to the reentry process, mapping how individual, community, institutional, and historical factors intersect to either support or undermine successful reintegration. Instead of patching broken pathways, Reentry Ecology invites us to design coordinated, sustainable ecosystems where returning citizens can truly thrive.
Why It Matters
Challenges Outdated Frameworks
Traditional criminogenic risk-based models focus narrowly on personal behavior, ignoring the systemic, historical, and community-level forces that shape reentry outcomes.
Addresses Overlooked Sociopolitical Implications
Without confronting history and its structural implications on everyday American life, reentry efforts will continue to replicate the outcomes they aim to ameliorate.
Offers a Blueprint for Transformational Change
Reentry Ecology integrates lived experience, rigorous research, and a systems approach to create pathways for sustainable reentry and thriving communities.
Design Principles of Reentry Ecology
Systems Approach
Reentry is shaped by layered environments — individual, community, institutional, societal, and historical — that must be addressed together.
WORK WITH US
Ready to redesign your reentry strategies through a Reentry Ecology lens?
Impact(FUL) Consulting offers technical assistance, workshops, and advisory services grounded in this transformational framework.
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