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| Southside jail program a corrections model |
| By Mark Mathews |
| Published: 04/09/2009 |
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The Southside Regional Jail’s Community Model In Corrections program has been a big hit. The program allows inmates to solve their own problems by discussing life issues with each other. Officers stay out of the way as much as possible, and the statistics of inmates going through the program have shown a remarkable difference, when they are released, from the typical inmate after they are set free. Rudolph Shuster is a 40-year veteran in criminal justice and treatment and said the numbers prove the success rate of the program, saying, “50 percent of your typical inmates are arrested within three years after they are released from jail. The number is about five percent for those who have been through the Community Model In Corrections program.” The program’s co-founders were Penny Patton and Moran Moss, of the Center of Therapeutic Justice, in Williamsburg. Patton said the program “reduces recidivism by changing the culture of incarceration. It’s an opportunity to provide the tools and skills to help these people make a positive effect in their communities, rather than re-infect them.” The inmates say they identify with their peers faster than they would with outside help or counselors. Another benefit of the program is saving money. The Community Model In Corrections program is only one-quarter the price tag of most programs. Jail Superintendent, Lance Forsythe, said, “The inmates have to solve problems for themselves. Sometimes their answers are unsatisfactory for them and unsatisfactory for us, but they will pick it up the next day and work on it again. Had you never given them the opportunity to fail, they wouldn’t have learned the techniques or skills needed to work on a problem until they find the answers they are looking for." Though the inmates run the program, it is structured. The inmates go to classes from 8:30 in the morning until 5:30 in the afternoon. Read more. If link has expired, check the website of the article's original news source. |
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