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Story Archives: Officials eye grant money to combat recidivism


Officials eye grant money to combat recidivism
posted Wednesday, March 4th, 2009 @ 9:25 pmE-mail Story E-mail Story | Print Story Print Story 
The Ouachita Parish Sheriff's Office and Ouachita Police Jury may pursue a grant to help reduce the recidivism rate at the Ouachita Correctional Center.

Sheriff grant writer Marky Tucker discussed the proposed grant with police jurors Monday during the police jury's regular meeting.

Funding would be available in March through the Second Chance Act, Tucker said.

The Second Chance Act is "federal legislation designed to improve outcomes for people returning to the community from prisons and jails," according to the Justice Center of the Council of State Governments. It was signed into law last year by President Bush.

"The sheriff's office is looking very closely at the state and local re-entry programs to be put in place at OCC," Tucker said.

"What we are trying to do is put together a re-entry task force to look at what that means as far as our community is concerned," Tucker explained. "It's not just the police jury … it will involve non-profits. What the sheriff's office sees itself doing is case management to provide each individual offender who comes in with a mechanism for testing, career placement and all the things they need to not come back. We realize that there will be some who will come back no matter what you do. But, right now, there is very little or nothing available out there because there is no space."

She said she would know more about the grant on March 23.

"The funding would be for five years," Tucker said. "It provides for several different kinds of programs all directed at reducing recidivism in the jail and providing educational opportunities as well as counseling and mentoring for these individuals coming out of the penal institutions."

She said all state penitentiaries now have some re-entry program for inmates that include educational, vocational and life-skills training.

"Their re-entry into the community begins on their booking day, so they can get a second chance to do better the next time," Tucker said.

Several police jurors have previously said the recidivism rate among parish prisoners must be addressed because it is contributing to the overcrowding problem at the jail. Many inmates at OCC are there for their third or fourth time.

The recidivism rate at OCC is around 80 to 90 percent, Tucker said. Most inmates there are at the ninth grade level or lower, she said.

Some local church groups already have formed a coalition to help inmates return to society once they are released from prison.

Police juror Pat Moore has been the most vocal about the need to do something about the recidivism rate.

Transitional housing, educational programs and jobs for released inmates are two of the biggest concerns right now, Moore said.

That's where non-profit organizations would come into play, Tucker said.

Tucker agreed that transitional housing is one of the biggest problems for released inmates.

"Unless they have family who will take them in and support them until they get a job, then they are dead in the water," Tucker said.

Moore added, "And right now, for most, once they get out, they are not prepared to make that transition."

Moore said one concern about the grant is it would require a 50 percent match. The police jury would be required to fund that portion.

She suggested Tucker continue with compiling information about the grant and report to the police jury by the first of April.
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