By C1 Staff
SACRAMENTO — A new pilot program from the Sacramento County Probation Department aims to help those being released from becoming homeless after they’ve left jail.
According to Lee Seale, chief probation officer for the county, the first 72 hours following release are the highest risk for recidivism, reports the Sacramento Bee.
Previously, the sheriff’s department would release offenders downtown, in the middle of the night with little more than a paper jumpsuit for clothing. The probation office didn’t open until sunrise and was miles away.
The California realignment process has further complicated releases, as many who have spent years behind bars are now getting out onto the streets.
With the new program, offenders who are being released are taking directly to the probation office. They arrive in the morning, giving intake officers all day to find housing and other support services.
“If they have to show up here,” Seale said, “why are we releasing them downtown and letting them get into trouble for 48 hours and then maybe finding their way, one way or another, to check in?”
Fewer than a dozen are currently participating in the program, but Seale hopes to expand the program over time.