Corrections Daily - 03-03-2021
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Subject: Corrections Daily - 03-03-2021
Corrections Daily is a news summary provided to all ACA members to keep you updated on the latest corrections-related news from around the world.
CORRECTIONS DAILY – 03.03.2021
[Flordia] Reentry Center Opens in Broward County to Help Rebuild Lives After Prison
PR.com
BY: Staff March 3, 2021
“Continuing to deliver on its promise to provide holistic legal services, the Florida Justice Center (FLJC) today announced the opening of its Broward County, Florida reentry center. FLJC now not only provides criminal legal defense, but also a full range of services for returning citizens from prison including case management, community referrals, and mental health services. The founding of FLJC was rooted in Executive Director Jonathan Bleiweiss’ experience as a returning citizen. After being released from prison, Bleiweiss soon found that no single place in Broward County existed to guide those coming home to the resources that were available to help them succeed. With over 70 percent those released from Florida prison being rearrested within five years, Bleiweiss knew there had to be a better way. The opening of the reentry center is the realization of his vision. The new center promises to bring together a wide variety of community service agencies to provide a complete continuum of care to address the needs of every client starting on the day of their release. Already partnered with medical, dental, substance abuse, mental health, and veteran services providers, the reentry center plans rapid expansion to handle a significant portion of the nearly 2,000 people released from Florida prison to Broward County each year. My passion has always been for helping those most at risk,” said Director of Case Management Thomas Thompson.
https://www.pr.com/press-release/832006
[Louisiana] Poll: Most voters support justice reform
Advocate.com
BY: Lea Skene March 3, 2021
“A new nonprofit called the Second Look Alliance solicited the survey to get a better sense of public opinion on the issue. The group, which recruited the former chief of staff for Republican U.S. Sen. John Kennedy to be its executive director, is taking a new approach to criminal justice reform advocacy that includes lifting up conservative voices. Their plans are focused on public education emphasizing two key concepts that resonate with Louisiana residents across the political spectrum and among various demographic groups, according to the poll: reducing the state prison budget and allowing the possibility that some prisoners achieve redemption. When asked how they felt about ''reexamining past sentences to provide a second chance to people who have served long sentences and who no longer pose a safety threat to their community,'' 72% of poll participants said they are supportive. Preston Robinson, Kennedy's former chief of staff who now leads the Second Look Alliance, said the organization is treating its advocacy work like a political campaign.
https://advocate-la-app.newsmemory.com/?publink=00624788d
[Indiana] Inmates in culinary program bake cookies for grieving Indiana State Prison staff
WTHR.com
BY: Staff March 2, 2021
“Inmates at the Rockville Correctional Facility in the Oakland City University Culinary Arts program got the chance to stray from their typical curriculum to make a kind gesture for the staff at Indiana State Prison. Indiana State Prison is grieving the loss of one of their own, Lt. Eugene Lasco, who died after being attacked by an inmate on Feb. 21. To show their concern for Lasco's colleagues, the students in the program sent homemade cookies to Indiana State Prison staff. OCU Culinary Arts instructor Alisha Myers and OCU Site Manager Kara Burgess allowed the students to step away from their regular lessons with approval from Rockville Correctional Facility Warden Julie Stout. Students made the cookies while staff drove the cookies from Rockville to Indiana State Prison in Michigan City. According to Burgess, the ideas came from the students themselves. It's a small gesture, but the sentiment is one of support and concern and that’s what matters," she said. OCU offers its Culinary Arts program at nine correctional facilities in the state: Rockville Correctional Facility; Branchville Correctional Facility; New Castle Correctional Facility; Plainfield Correctional Facility; Putnamville Correctional Facility; Indiana Women's Prison; Heritage Trail Correctional Facility; Westville Correctional Facility and Indiana State Prison. Students who complete the Culinary Arts program receive certifications in ServeSafe, as well as the title of certified kitchen cook through the American Hotel & Lodging Educational Institute.
[Oklahoma] Committee approves bill to address loophole with Electronic Monitoring Program
KFOR.com
BY: K. Querry Thompson March 2, 2021
“An Oklahoma committee has approved legislation that lawmakers say will address an oversight. Senate Bill 456 eliminates the current eligibility classifications allowing all sentence lengths to be eligible for the Electronic Monitoring Program once a nonviolent offender is within three years of his or her release. Current law inadvertently left certain nonviolent offenders sentenced between five and ten years unable to participate in the Electronic Monitoring Program. This was an oversight that needs to be corrected to allow more nonviolent offenders the ability to serve out the remainder of their sentence at home with their families,” Sen. Bill Coleman said. “This not only helps reconnect families and get these individuals back into the workforce, it also helps lower incarceration costs and overcrowding in our prison system. SB 456 also adds inmates convicted on counts relating to child abuse and neglect or exploitation of a vulnerable adult to the list of individuals deemed ineligible to be placed in the Electronic Monitoring Program. While GPS monitoring is a good way to help most nonviolent offenders serve the remainder of their sentence at home, it’s not appropriate or safe for predators who have victimized children and vulnerable senior citizens,” Coleman said. “Electronic monitoring only tracks offenders’ location, not who they’re around or what they’re doing—meaning when they return home, they may still be in close proximity of the individual they hurt or exploited, possibly putting the victim in danger or causing them undue stress and anxiety. We must protect our most vulnerable citizens from those who would prey on them. The Senate Appropriations Committee unanimously approved the legislation. Participation in the Electronic Monitoring Program is not automatic. Inmates must apply to get into the program and meet numerous eligibility standards prior to enrollment. The bill, which was requested by the Department of Corrections, will now go before the full Senate.
[Wisconsin] Equestrian center to work with incarcerated veterans
WSAW.com
BY: Phoebe Murray March 2, 2021
“Trinity Equestrian Center has been helping local veterans heal for nearly twenty years. Shoulder-to-shoulder, nose-to-nose with them because that’s where the relationship grows, that’s where the trust grows, and for our clients that pivotable, that’s everything,” says Toni Mattson, co-owner of Trinity Equestrian Center in Eau Claire. Mattson says these helping hooves will soon be breaking ground behind prison walls. A 12 week pilot program bringing two horses each week on location at Stanley Correctional Institution, to provide therapy for incarcerated veterans. An idea reigned together by a former Trinity client and newly employed veteran at the prison. One in particular a Mr. Brandon drost, had just a really incredible passion to help other veterans,”says Mattson. With the help of a $25,000 grant from the Wisconsin Department of Veteran Affairs, the program titled ‘The Forgotten Ones’ will begin this May.
It breaks my heart because when Brandon and I began this whole journey, he said veterans who are incarcerated really feel forgotten,” says Mattson. “That they’ve served their country and yes there are reasons that they’re where they’re at but once they’re incarcerated they’re forgotten about and we just thought that was wrong, so we’re going to do something about it. Impacted by dozens of family members and friends who have served, Mattson says this program joins together her two passions. The horses take the lead and they’re the ones who do most of the work, we’re kind of coaches and facilitators but they are amazing partners to work with, “says Mattson. Mattson says their equines therapy services are free and available to anyone who may be having trouble with service experience.
https://www.wsaw.com/2021/03/03/equestrian-center-to-work-with-incarcerated-veterans/
[Idaho] Twin Falls re-entry center works with organizations to reintegrate inmates into community
KMVT.com
BY: Elizabeth Hadley March 2, 2021
“Transitioning from prison to the community again can be lonely and stressful. Oftentimes people can revert back to drugs and alcohol, landing them back in prison. But, there are programs and people who can help make that transition easier. According to the National Institute of Justice, 44% of recently released inmates return to jail during their first year out. The Twin Falls Community Re-entry Center works to help decrease that number. We want to decompress them through the system and not just throw them out into the community,” said Bruce Wells-Moore, the Deputy Division Chief for the Idaho Department of Corrections. “So we take them to the lower custody levels and then bring them here, to slowly transition back into the community, to become that citizen, that returning citizen in the community. With their new partnership with Recovery in Motion, Twin Falls Community Re-entry Center helps them have a fresh start by finding a job, getting their GED, and take college classes. We’ve had folks in our CRC’s, that will begin their certifications for HVAC, for plumbing, for electrical, so if they are within 18 months of going home, they are allowed to attend college classes in the community,” said Wells-Moore. Through its partnership, people who are coming out of jail can get help with support groups, counseling, or help with housing.
