The Record
STOCKTON — California’s overcrowded prisons have been releasing prisoners as quickly as they can to meet federal requirements to reduce their populations.
But releasing inmates is only the first step to their re-integration into society.
Many have few job skills, less education than required and even behavioral and other social issues that can prevent a successful re-entry.
The Stockton Day Reporting Center, which is holding an open house to the public from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday, is one of the avenues for former inmates.
The center, which focuses on prevention and intervention, offers life skills and parenting courses, general education diploma classes and programs that help probationers deal with the root of criminal behavior and change the way they think.
The idea is that helping the individual also benefits public safety by reducing the likelihood that person will commit new crimes.
“What we don’t want is to find the individuals back on drugs ... back in the same patterns, " former Chief Probation Officer Patty Mazzilli told The Record when the center was in its infancy.
Such a program was a departure for how people on probation had been treated for years, she said.
The open house will offer the public a chance to meet with the staff and learn about the programs and services offered at the center, where the goal remains to reduce the prison population.
Many of those helped at the center are one strike away from going to prison to life, which further crowds prisons. Many don’t have the skills to obtain employment, so they don’t try to find a job.
Through the center, however, they learn skills, gain hope and have a chance to become productive members of society.
Participants in the program must maintain sobriety for 90 days, participate in 90 percent of their prescribed group meetings and complete Moral Reconation Therapy, a behavioral program developed to reduce recidivism and change criminal behavior.
Some 67 parolees a day take advantage of the center’s services.
Just last year, the California State Association of Counties considered San Joaquin County among those using “best practices” in implementing the shift of certain felony offenders from state responsibility to county courts, jails and probation departments.
It was one of four counties featured in a series of videos. Glenn, San Bernardino and San Mateo were the others.
“I was so honored when (the association) initially contacted us, " county Chief Probation Officer Stephanie James said at the time. “I thought it just represents our county so well.”