By C1 Staff
MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Pa. — A correctional facility in Pennsylvania is loking for funding to create a re-entry program to lower the recidivism rate of returning offenders.
Ideally, according to The Reporter Online, the program would help inmates get long-term, gainful employment and thus stay out of jail for good.
But it’s contingent upon getting a $199,000 federal Byrne Justice Assistance grant to supplement $270,000 in state workforce development funds.
The proposed 12-month program would begin with 15 pre-screened inmates, providing job readiness skills, classroom instruction, career counseling, assessment and training, and employee retention support. More inmates would be added to the pgoram every quarter.
“The more we can do to help people be successful when they leave prison, to be able to reacclimate to life, to get a job, to be able to care for their families and to avoid having to go back to prison, that’s the goal of this initiative,” said Board chairman Josh Shapiro.