Rising numbers of inmates, coupled with the loss of prerelease training and outside supervision, foreshadow a breakdown in the continuum of community safety. Ex-inmates face complex challenges when they return home, as do the neighborhoods receiving them. Reentry issues include: (1) employment readiness (7 out of 10 inmates are unable to fill out a job application or read a bus schedule); (2) need for substance abuse treatment, particularly aftercare following in-prison treatment; (3) housing (parole restrictions, public housing statutes, and stringent shelter policies -- designed to enhance public safety -- often limit housing options); (4) public health (a disproportionately large percentage of the U.S. population who have serious infectious diseases are among the incarcerated population; the inmates receive free health care and medicine while incarcerated, but their transition to community based health services is not always seamless). The article concludes that corrections professionals must focus on the eventual release of inmates from the moment of their commitment, place them in settings where they can safely prepare for reentry, and build partnerships with other governmental agencies and communities to enhance the transition from prison to society. References