Healey-Driscoll Administration Convenes 4th Annual Emerging Adult Summit to Advance Rehabilitation, Reentry, and Opportunity for Justice-Involved Young Adults

For immediate release:

• Executive Office of Public Safety and Security
• Massachusetts Department of Correction

NORWOOD- The Healey-Driscoll Administration convened the 4th Annual Massachusetts Emerging Adult Summit, bringing together more than 250 leaders from across public safety, corrections, education, housing, workforce development, and community organizations to advance innovation in rehabilitation, reentry, and youth justice along with philanthropic partners, research experts, and individuals with lived experience to advance innovation in rehabilitation, reentry, and youth justice. Hosted by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) in partnership with the Municipal Police Training Committee (MPTC), Roca, UTEC, and For Health Consulting at UMass Chan Medical School, the two-day summit highlighted collaborative approaches that are transforming outcomes for emerging adults across the Commonwealth.

The event coincided with the release of the DOC's 2025 Recidivism Report, which examines outcomes for individuals released between 2017 and 2022. The report shows that completing vocational programs is linked to the lowest rates of reoffending, with 5.2% for men and 0.0% for women. Men who complete the DOC's substance use program, the Correctional Recovery Academy, have a 7.1% reconviction rate, compared to 14.9% for non-completers. Women who complete at least 26 weeks of the gender-responsive, trauma-informed Pathways Program see their rate drop to 3.6%, compared to 14.7% for non-completers. Overall, one-year reconviction rates were 10.6% for men and 11.4% for women.

Interim Public Safety and Security Secretary Susan W. Terrey welcomed over 250 leaders from public safety, corrections, education, housing, workforce development, and community organizations to the 4th Annual Emerging Adult Summit.

"Our administration's approach to public safety is rooted in prevention, rehabilitation, and opportunity," said Governor Maura Healey. "By bringing together partners who are driving innovation across corrections, education, and community reentry, this Summit underscores what's possible when we focus on helping people rebuild their lives. Massachusetts' low recidivism rate shows that this strategy is working."

"The progress we're seeing is the result of real collaboration. From DOC's PEACE Unit to the Emerging Adult Leadership Academy and so many more, programs across Massachusetts prove that when young people are given the right tools and support, they can thrive. That's how we build safer, stronger communities," said Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll.

As part of the Administration's broader investment strategy, officials also highlighted the Office of Grants and Research's (OGR) Emerging Adults Reentry Initiative, which has awarded more than $20.3 million in state funding since 2023 to nonprofit partners delivering coordinated pre- and post-release services in collaboration with the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) and county sheriffs. These funds expand education, employment readiness, housing navigation, life-skills training, and mentorship for justice-involved 18- to 25-year-olds.

"This year's Summit captured what public safety looks like in practice, which includes accountability paired with opportunity," said Interim Public Safety and Security Secretary Susan W. Terrey. "We're proud to see the data reflect the work being done every day across our agencies and community partnerships to reduce recidivism and strengthen lives."

"The emerging adult model is helping Massachusetts set a national standard for rehabilitation. Through evidence-based programming, vocational training, and education, we're helping young people redefine their futures and break the cycle of reoffending," said Undersecretary of Criminal Justice Andrew Peck.

The 2025 Summit highlights leadership, research, and lived experience as well as how to move ideas into practice. Day One focused on what works and how to scale it. Participants opened with commitments to regional collaboration, examined evidence-based interventions and outcome metrics to track real progress, and joined interactive segments that built cross-sector strategies. The afternoon highlighted workforce and civic opportunities for returning residents and closed with a practical session that equipped teams with concrete steps to put into practice across communities.

Day Two shifted from strategy to application. Discussion included second-chance career pathways, such as technology training models that connect education to jobs. Representatives from the State's Emerging Adult Leadership Academy, an innovative statewide training program that brings together law enforcement, community partners, and service providers, showcased how teams applied that training through practical tools and case examples.

Breakout sessions addressed topics such as parole and community pathways, restorative justice, diversion for emerging adults, and partnership-driven violence intervention. Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden highlighted their innovative Emerging Adult Program, and Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker led a discussion on the importance of multi-disciplinary regional partnerships, showcasing Essex County's leadership in supporting the expansion of Emerging Adult services through collaboration. The program concluded with a presentation about the DOC's PEACE Unit, a trauma-informed rehabilitation program for incarcerated women grounded in lived experience and closed with stories that show how these practices translate into safer communities and stronger reentry outcomes.

Essex County District Attorney Paul Tucker, Sako Long of the Department of Youth Services, James Runner of the Essex County District Attorney's Office, Kevin Ryner of Roca, Inc., and Tamara Soraluz of UTEC hosted a panel on regional coordination and the power of collaboration to support justice-involved young adults.

"The numbers from our latest recidivism report are more than statistics. They represent people whose lives have changed," said DOC Commissioner Shawn Jenkins. "When we combine structure, purpose, and opportunity, rehabilitation becomes real and public safety becomes sustainable. The Emerging Adult Summit offers an important opportunity to recognize our shared achievements, strengthen partnerships across services, and identify new paths forward to continue our strong momentum."

"Evidence-based reentry services are proven to reduce future crime. Through the Emerging Adult Reentry Initiative and our other criminal justice grant programs, we're able to deliver critical resources for reentry services across the state in support of the administration's public safety goals," said OGR Executive Director Kevin Stanton.

The Emerging Adult Summit is one component of the Healey-Driscoll Administration's broader strategy to promote rehabilitation, reduce recidivism, and expand access to opportunity through innovation and cross-sector collaboration.

Recent and ongoing initiatives include:

• Emerging Adult Leadership Academy (EOPSS): 40-hour statewide training for law enforcement, municipal leaders, and community partners. Focus areas include developmental science, trauma-informed and restorative practice, community violence intervention, and practitioner wellness. Built with MPTC, UTEC's Training Center for Excellence, and ForHealth Consulting at UMass Chan.
• Credible Messengers: A transformative mentoring model that pairs returning residents and families with EOPSS employees who have relevant lived experience to support stabilization, goal setting, and successful community reintegration.
• Reentry Simulations: Hands-on, two-hour exercises that immerse policymakers and stakeholders in the first 30 days after release. Identifies barriers in housing, employment, transportation, and services and informs practical fixes across agencies.
• Stable Start Housing Initiative: A partnership between EOPSS and the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to offer long-term housing with wraparound services tailored to emerging adults to support safe, sustained reintegration.
• BRAVE Unit (DOC, NCCI-Gardner): Community-based unit for emerging adult fathers that builds parenting and life skills, uses peer mentorship, and strengthens healthy family engagement.
• PEACE Unit (DOC, MCI-Framingham): Developmentally appropriate, trauma-informed community for women ages 18 to 29. Emphasizes decision-making, personal responsibility, peer support, and readiness for reentry.
• Parole Community Pathways: Transitional and field services that align supervision with treatment, education, training, and employment to support continuity of care in the community.
• Emerging Adults Reentry Initiative Grants (OGR): Funds nonprofits delivering coordinated pre- and post-release services with DOC and Sheriff partners. 2023-2024 awards total $20,369,850. FY26 provides continuation awards to sustain current programming. In 2024, funded programs served 275 individuals; early data from UTEC and Roca show a 26% two-year recidivism rate among participants.

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• Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

  EOPSS is responsible for the policy development and budgetary oversight of its secretariat agencies, independent programs, and several boards which aid in crime prevention, homeland security preparedness, and ensuring the safety of residents and visitors in the Commonwealth.

• Massachusetts Department of Correction

  The Department of Correction oversees the state prison system, managing 13 institutions across the state. We provide custody, care, and programming for those under our supervision to prepare them for safe and successful reentry into the community.