News

2021 STAR Summit Registration Open

ARCHS is excited to announce registration is now open for the 2021 STAR Summit, which is a resource for St. Louis City and County reentry professionals to network and connect to critical resources for justice-involved individuals.

When coronavirus prevented us from hosting last year’s Summit on March 17th, we hoped that would mean postponing until Fall. Seeing as we are still in the throes of this pandemic almost a year later, the steering committee did not want to delay any further. We have decided to bring the 2021 STAR Summit to you virtually, and for free!

Sessions will be held April 14th, 21st, and 28th from 9:00 – 11:30 a.m. via Zoom Webinar. The agenda for each day is below. In 2020, we sold out for the in-person event, and we’d love to see the same enthusiasm this year! Click HERE to register.

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A message from the Missouri Department of Corrections: Reopening for Reentry Workers during COVID-19 Recovery

The State of Missouri continues into Phase 2 of the “Show Me Strong Recovery.” The sentinel testing of Division of Adult Institution facilities continues. We want to ensure the safety of offenders, staff, and the public. We are slowly transitioning toward allowing visitors, volunteers, and reentry partners into institutions which have successfully completed the sentinel testing process. Visiting protocols are currently only in place at the South Central Correctional Center in Licking, Missouri.

SO, WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR ME?

This institution has entered a Recovery Plan Stage, which will allow for your potential return.

All reentry partners will need to complete a COVID-19 test with a verification of a negative result before entering the facility. You can have this testing completed in the community or with your own personal physician. If you are unsure of where to locate that information, please click here.

While testing in some areas is limited or not available, you can consult with the institution and the Employee Health Nurse for assistance in this process.

As you begin preparations to re-enter the institution(s), please send an email or a phone call advising the Reentry Unit of your decision. The Reentry Office phone number is (573) 526-1664 or email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Please include the following information in your email or phone call:
-Organization name
-Organization contact information
-A listing of the names of the representatives/staff re-entering the facility

I WANT TO GET BACK TO REENTRY WORK! WHAT IF THE FACILITY I GO TO IS NOT LISTED?

We will continue to follow the previous policy prohibiting access to other institutions and facilities. This policy of protection and containment continues until sentinel testing is completed and the Recovery Stage Plan is implemented. Once again, we will notify you when services can begin face-to-face with offenders inside the walls of prisons. Until then, we strongly encourage you to continue practicing all social distancing and hygienic policies set forth by the State of Missouri and the CDC, as well as encourage you to consider being tested at one of the community healthcare posts in your community or surrounding area. If you are unsure of where to locate that information, please click here.

I NEED TO GET TRAINED AS A REENTRY PARTNER. WHAT IS THE STATUS ABOUT RESUMING REENTRY PARTNER TRAINING?

Please note we have NOT re-instated reentry partner training yet. When the training for new reentry partners resumes, we will make sure to communicate that to you, as well. We appreciate your patience as we transition toward reentering the facilities.

I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE HEALTH STATUS OF CLIENTS BEING RELEASED FROM PRISON. WHAT KIND OF PRECAUTIONS ARE BEING TAKEN FOR OFFENDERS NEARING RELEASE?

Some of you have voiced some concerns around the releasing of incarcerated men and women and their health status related specifically to COVID-19. The Missouri Department of Corrections developed a viral containment plan that went into effect approximately 5 weeks ago. Under this plan, it was determined that MDOC will NOT release any offender that has tested positive for COVID-19, despite their release date. These offenders will not be eligible for release until such time that they have recovered and that recovery has been verified by negative testing. Any offender appearing to be symptomatic or is known to have been exposed to someone that has tested positive for COVID-19, will NOT be released, despite their release date. Again, these offenders will remain in our custody until they have been cleared by negative COVID-19 testing.

As for direct notification of who those persons are positive, HIPPA guidelines do not allow us to disclose the individual names/observed symptoms/medical testing/testing outcomes. However, please rest assured that we will not be releasing anyone that appears symptomatic, has been exposed to a person who has test positive, or has personally tested positive, until those individuals are confirmed clear. We hope this helps to reassure your team. As was mentioned earlier, we will update you as information is received or when viral containment and protection procedures are ended.

I WANT CURRENT INFORMATION. WHERE CAN I FIND UP-TO-DATE INFORMATION ABOUT COVID-19 AS IT RELATES TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS?

If you would like to keep up-to-date on COVID-19 news, specifically as it relates to the Missouri Department of Corrections, you can access that information by clicking here.

WILL YOU CONTINUE TO REACH OUT AND KEEP US INFORMED?

Yes, we will continue to keep you informed of any changes or updates to the plan. We are also going to begin instituting virtual calls with you by region. Please watch your email for notices of those WebEx calls for the future- WebEx is the state of Missouri’s virtual platform.

Strengthening Economic Supports for Missouri Women

Community leaders and organizations serving women in Eastern Missouri are invited to attend a virtual conversation with the UMKC Institute for Human Development on Thursday, June 25th. Click here to register.

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2020 STAR Summit POSTPONED

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Due to the rapidly changing nature regarding COVID-19, we have made the decision to postpone the STAR Summit scheduled for March 18^th. Refunds will be issued and you should receive a confirmation email from Eventbrite that this is being processed. This decision was not made lightly and is out of concern for the health and wellbeing of all those involved. As an organization dedicated to helping others, we feel very strongly that it is important that we do our part in attempting to prevent the spread of this virus.

We are already hard at work putting plans in place to host this event at a later date. The admirable level of enthusiasm shown for this year’s sessions and keynote speakers led to a sold out event and we hope you will still plan to join us once this has passed.

Keep an eye out for updated information on the STLREENTRY Facebook page, Eventbrite, STAR’s website (www.stlreentry.org), and via email. In the meantime, stay healthy and as always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Introducing 2020 STAR Summit Speaker Tydrell Stevens

STAR Summit organizers are excited to announce Tydrell Stevens from the Urban League of Metropolitan Saint Louis will be one of the presenters for St. Louis City and County's day focused on reentry efforts in the region. Stevens plans to lead a session called "Tackling the Army of the Unskilled," which will highlight current initiatives by the Save Our Sons program to drive employment opportunities for men, especially those graduating high school and those getting ready for prison release.

Stevens has taken charge of the Save Our Sons program since it launched in 2015, when the Urban League studied what resource-deprived communities desired after the shooting of Michael Brown and protests that made national news headlines. Employment was the answer across the board during that time of reflection on how to improve communities.

Stevens says the biggest takeaway from his session at STAR is to remain empathetic to those seeking help to serve them better.

"We understand that we may have individuals come in, looking for a job, and they're frustrated with some of the things they face, especially if they're criminal justice involved, and having so many doors shut on them. It's important to have empathy. If people come in and want to vent, allow them to vent. Understand that they're going through something...It's up to us to uplift them with the courage, hope, resources, and tools for them to actually be successful," Stevens says.

The 2020 STAR Summit on March 18th is sold out, and there will be no walk-in registrations accepted this year. There are plenty of learning opportunities for reentry professionals, including the Missouri Reentry Conference in Lake Ozark, MO from November 4-6, 2020. Follow STLREENTRY on Facebook for updates.

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