The Reentry National Media Outreach campaign has developed a collaborative relationship with the National Alliance of Faith and Justice of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice to develop a culturally competent reentry orientation/training video for clergy. The video supplements existing training conducted by the National Alliance of Faith and Justice (NAFJ) to provide an introduction and orientation on reentry issues facing formerly incarcerated men and women. NABCJ has found that clergy have compassionate feelings for people who were formerly incarcerated, but may not have any formal understanding or training to support their needs adequately.

Video materials include information that can be used as an orientation to reentry, as well as specific training content related to five modules. They are:

• Reentry Support and Mentoring of Formerly Incarcerated Men and Women
• Mentoring Children of Prisoners
• Partnerships and Collaborations
• Strengthening Families and Communities
• Disproportionate Minority Confinement

Produced by Dean Radcliffe-Lynes (Outside the Walls), the video capitalizes on the black church's growing awareness of the significant impact of crime and imprisonment on their families and communities and the active role they need to play in addressing issues of reentry. The need for the video is based on the large numbers of people who are returning home following incarceration. Many seek assistance from the black church, which is the nucleus of African-American communities. Clergy and lay persons are struggling to meet this demand, primarily with a limited understanding of criminal justice issues and solutions. For some with experience, their role has traditionally been in prison ministries where they go into prisons and jails to hold services and tend to the spiritual needs of inmates.

According to the National Alliance of Faith and Justice, “Research through public opinion surveys conducted with over 1,000 African American pastors, clergy, and laypersons of all faiths overwhelmingly agree that culturally competent training backed by adequate resources and a greater understanding of the issues, needs, and public policy would strengthen the church's ability ‘on-the-ground' to serve its constituents. Black preachers and leaders are in the best position to emphasize and convey this point on behalf of those over whom they have authority.”

The National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice (NABCJ) is a multiethnic, nonpartisan, nonprofit association of criminal justice professionals and community leaders dedicated to improving the administration of justice. NABCJ was founded as a vehicle by which criminal justice practitioners could initiate positive change from within, while increasing opportunities for the average citizen to understand better the nature and operation of local, state, and federal criminal justice processes. Membership and participation in the activities of the NABCJ are open to all, irrespective of race, creed, or country of national origin.

NABCJ seeks to focus attention on relevant legislation, law enforcement, prosecution, and defense-related needs and practices, with emphasis on the courts, corrections, and the prevention of crime. Among its chief concerns are the general welfare and increasing influence of African Americans and people of color as it relates to the administration of justice. NABCJ is designed to serve the needs of African Americans and people of color at all levels, including nonprofessionals, paraprofessionals, and professionals. Anyone can become a member of the association. NABCJ encourages individuals who were formerly incarcerated to join and contribute their perspectives to this unique and dynamic organization.

NABCJ is also the parent body for the National Alliance of Faith and Justice (NAFJ), which promotes the inclusion of faith in addressing consequences and resolutions of crime, with an emphasis upon its impact on African Americans and other people of color. NAFJ's faith-based National Black Church Taskforce Initiative on Crime and Criminal Justice was developed for nationwide replication and demonstration. The initiative offers a comprehensive approach that includes training and capacity building with specific guidance in organizing and mobilizing efforts to deal with the consequences of crime. Guidance provided to clergy and others as a result of this initiative redirect their efforts to combat systematic over-reliance on incarceration. Where implemented, the initiative is a community-led justice movement that positions the black church at the center of justice, the criminal justice system, the criminal, and the victim. Although empowering to black churches, the initiative is designed to bridge denominational, racial, and other divides. Participants advocate for the redirection of criminal justice resources to enhance community control of, and responsibility for, public safety and justice.

The black church has always recognized that it is not relevant to talk about God in mystical and mysterious ways without applying it to everyday life. Crime and the quest for freedom through equitable justice provides a compelling reason to resume or increase, as applicable, advocacy and historic support provided by the church to its immediate and extended communities.