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| Prison realignment: go directly to jail? |
| By newsreview.com - Kel Munger |
| Published: 10/20/2011 |
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Realignment is here. But instead of just transferring California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation offenders from one place—prison—to another—the county jail—some are saying realignment offers a real opportunity to lower recidivism and crime rates. And, this time, there’s actually a bit of state funding to pay for it. In meetings earlier this month, the Community Corrections Program allotted $13.1 million in funds for the transition of state prisoners to local supervision. Roughly 61 percent of this money, however, will go to the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department for programs that include reopening a jail and more beds for inmates. Meanwhile, the remaining approximately $5 million will be given to Sacramento County Chief Probation Officer Don L. Meyer. He hopes the funds will help prove that his agency’s low-level offenders, all convicted of nonviolent and nonsexual crimes, benefit more from things such as one-on-one behavioral counseling than just sitting around in a room. “Most people equate being locked up with a change in behavior,” Meyers said, “and it does change their behavior: It makes them worse. Low-level offenders get worse, and they associate with high-level offenders and get worse.” Meyers instead argues that, with proper supervision while on probation and parole, as well as access to treatment and training programs, Sacramento’s share of nonviolent offenders might be able to step off the offend, go to jail, get released, reoffend carousel. By law, some of the funds involved for realignment must be used for evidence-based programs and probation supervision. Meyer calls this rehabilitation that works. He says some Sacramento County Department of Probation staff will operate these programs, but that some will be contracted out for relatively new and effective mental-health and cognitive-behavioral treatment programs with community-based providers. Read More. |
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