INDIANAPOLIS, IN - A new women's jail opened at Liberty Hall to house Marion County Jail non-violent female inmates. It will provide up to 125 new jail beds for  female offenders in 2006.  Female inmates with the most serious offenses are expected to remain at the jail.

"When I was a young deputy sheriff, I could count on one hand the number of female inmates in the jail, let alone female inmates with children," Sheriff Anderson said. "While this move frees up more beds in the Marion County Jail, it also equips these women with the life skills they need to be better parents and citizens so they can lead productive lives when they are released back into society."

Liberty Hall is owned and operated by Community Education Centers, Inc. (CEC), and will provide female inmates with specialized, intensive training to prepare them for their reentry to society. They  will take part in a comprehensive program designed to address a wide-range of issues including health, employment skills, anger management, relapse prevention and financial management.

"By instituting this program, we are freeing up beds at the Marion County Jail to ease the issue of jail overcrowding," Mayor Peterson said. "We are offering a new and innovative program that will help women offenders rehabilitate themselves and break the cycle of crime that has dominated their lives."

Sheriff Anderson noted that many of the female offenders housed at the Marion County Jail also are mothers. A recent survey of female inmates in the jail found 245 women had 446 children at home.

"While the new jail beds at Liberty Hall open bed space at the Marion County Jail, we need to continue to work together to find workable solutions to address jail overcrowding," Sheriff Anderson said. "Through the efforts of the bipartisan Criminal Justice Planning Council, our community is making significant progress, yet we must continue together on our path to reform the criminal justice system in our community."