Originally posted at CSAC.
In 2011, the California Legislature passed AB 109 — a plan to comply with federal court orders to reduce the prison population by about 35,000 inmates. Under this plan, California’s 58 counties began incarcerating, supervising and rehabilitating non-serious, non-violent, and non-sexual criminal offenders. The plan is now two years old.
Since then, California counties have risen to the challenge, implementing evidence-based practices that identify individual offender’s risk factors and providing services, treatment and other resources to help reduce the risk of reoffending. The California State Association of Counties has created a series of videos that features the work of these agencies and their efforts to implement creative and successful programs that both make our communities safer and help reduce recidivism.
“Our goal is to highlight some AB 109 success stories and help counties share and replicate programs that are working,” stated CSAC Communications Director Gregg Fishman.
This week features Glenn County, where county officials expanded the existing Community Re-Entry Work (CREW) program. CREW is a collaboration of several county departments that teaches job skills, provides training and is helping offenders get back on their feet. One recent graduate of the program started her own business, and now hires other CREW participants as employees.