IN THE REENTRY process, the community is, at the same time, both a major stumbling block and a major resource. On the one hand, overall decline in community involvement and civic commitment has been identified as a general problem facing democratic societies (Putnam, 2000; Barber, 1992). In that regard, prospects for sustaining safe, productive and economically-viable civic life in communities confronted with thousands of persons returning from prison appear to be even more greatly diminished (Rose and Clear, 1998). One primary reason for this is the structural obstacles to productive citizenship faced by persons currently or formerly under correctional supervision.