There are two main external approaches that help improve outcomes for people affected by incarceration, top-down = Policy change & bottom-up = Grassroots.

It is first worth noting that change is generally hard for everyone: governments, organizations, and individuals, because it's not typically not a simple singular event but a complex process: http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Womens_Hea...

On the policy front, this is one of many approaches being taken, and this specific one is coming from the White House, My Brother's Keeper: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2014/02/27/fact-s...

On the grassroots front, there are two organization that come to mind that are running programs showing promise in breaking the cycle of crime at different points: Roca & the Center for Employment.

Here are their theories of change respectively: http://rocainc.org/what-we-do/the-solution/rocas-interventio... http://ceoworks.org/about/what-we-do/ceo-model-3/

Both are taking part in scaling what works with Social Impact Bonds: http://www.ted.com/talks/toby_eccles_invest_in_social_change http://www.socialfinanceus.org/what-we-do/select-current-eng... http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/tackling-mas...

Additional case studies from David Hunter: http://dekhconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/HunterC... http://dekhconsulting.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/CenterF...