The Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles is expanding a pilot program designed to give officers and state agencies a clearer picture of services available to people under supervision, adding workforce development to a system that initially focused on mental health, substance use treatment and veterans services.
ABPP announced this week that Workforce Alabama has joined the pilot alongside the Alabama Department of Mental Health, the Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs and Unite Us, a technology company that provides a platform for coordinating referrals among agencies and service providers.
The expansion comes several months after the bureau began testing the system at a limited number of day reporting centers. In April, bureau officials said the pilot was operating at about five centers, where officers could use the platform to refer people on probation or parole to services and track whether they received them.
The platform is designed to create a more complete record by allowing participating agencies and providers to make referrals, document services and track outcomes. Officials hope the information can eventually help identify gaps in services and show which programs are being used.
The partnership began in 2025 with funding from the Alabama Opioid Commission through the Opioid Treatment and Abatement Fund. The initial group included Pardons and Paroles, ADMH and ADVA. Workforce Alabama joined the pilot this month, expanding its focus to employment and career opportunities.
“We realized our agencies’ target populations and mission work overlap, and by using technology to drive efficiency, we can work smarter, together and break down government silos,” Ward said in a statement.
The Unite Us platform uses what the company describes as a closed-loop referral system. Rather than simply giving an individual a list of possible services, participating officers and agencies can make a referral, follow its progress and determine whether the person ultimately connected with the provider.
The system can coordinate referrals for substance use treatment, mental health care, housing, employment, health care, education and career training, according to the announcement.
For the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, the data could also provide information about where services are falling short. If people are repeatedly referred to a particular type of treatment or assistance that is unavailable or difficult to access, the bureau could use that information to identify where additional resources may be needed.
The pilot remains limited, but officials have previously said expansion will depend on whether the technology proves useful to the officers and agencies using it.
Taylor Justice, CEO and co-founder of Unite Us, said the Alabama partnership reflects a broader effort to coordinate services across agencies rather than treating employment, housing, health care and other reentry needs separately.
“Reentry looks different for everybody; but when cross-sector partners align around a shared vision and have the right tools to achieve it, we can fundamentally change how we respond to complex needs,” Justice said.
