In 2003 and 2004, sites in 11 cities initiated the Ready4Work demonstration.  Ready4Work, funded by the US Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration, the Annie E. Casey Foundation and the Ford Foundation and carried out by Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), conjectured that a strong reentry program should include employment-readiness and job-placement services, facilitated by case managers who would also refer participants to other needed programs such as drug treatment and housing.  In addition, it hypothesized that mentors could help ease the reentry of adult ex-offenders by providing both practical and emotional support and in the process cut the rate at which they return to prison.