The Weber County Sheriff’s Office and the Weber County Community Reentry Coalition developed this guide for hosting a reentry simulation, a hands-on exercise in which participants take on the identities of people returning to the community after incarceration. Four 15-minute rounds represent the first month after release, and participants try to meet obligations related to employment, supervision, treatment, housing, transportation, identification, basic needs, and finances. The guide covers planning and preparation, a recommended 2- to 3-hour agenda, facilitation of each round, discussion questions between rounds, and prompts for the final debrief. Laura Andelin, Justice Programs Supervisor at the Weber County Sheriff’s Office (2022 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP) grantee), presented the guide at the November 12, 2026, Virtual Solutions Swap.
Who might use it
Reentry coalitions, sheriff’s office and jail program staff, and COSSUP project directors can use the guide to show elected officials, judges, justice partners, and residents how reentry obligations compete with one another in the first month after release. Treatment court teams, probation and parole agencies, peer recovery organizations, and community providers may also host a simulation or staff its service stations.
How to use it
The guide sets out the steps for each stage of the event: who to invite and when to send Save the Dates (at least two to three months ahead), how many people to plan for (about 30 to 50 participants, 15 to 20 station volunteers, and two to four volunteers serving as case managers or peer support specialists), which service stations to set up, and what goes in each participant’s identity packet. Participants complete Week 1 on their own, and the case managers and peer support specialists join from Week 2 through Week 4, so participants experience the difference that individualized support makes. The guide recommends closing by asking each participant for one takeaway or potential action, and it notes that the exercise illustrates selected reentry challenges and does not represent every person’s experience.