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| Gang Program Works, but Not in Budget |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 09/26/2005 |
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An Oregon gang rehabilitation program that has succeeded in keeping over 97 percent of its graduates from sliding back into crime has been cut, after a federal grant dried up. So far, 330 Oregon inmates have taken part in the Going Home program, a federally funded initiative which helps former gang members stay out of trouble. Of the 123 inmates that have already been released since 2003, only three just 2.4 percent have landed back in prison. For violent a criminal, that's a practically unheard-of recidivism rate, say gang experts. State corrections officials have hailed the success of the program, but they have no plans to sustain it, after the $2 million federal grant ends next spring. The cut comes at a time when gang violence has spread as far as downtown Portland. The Oregon Department of Corrections has not set aside funds in its $1 billion budget for the Going Home program, and the department's assistant director, who oversees the program, said each county needs to decide whether to continue the service. County leaders say they need help from the state to keep the service alive beyond next spring. The program goes well beyond what one parole officer can do. Former gang members attribute the program's success to the early contact they make with counselors in prison, who become their guide as they near the end of their prison term and head back into the world. The counselors continue to provide support and guidance after the inmate's release. They plan to apply for other grants and lobby state legislators for the money. |
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