Each week, Louis Dettorre will provide the PublicCEO Staff Report of the Week. Nominate yourself or a colleague by e-mailing ldettorre@publicCEO.com.
A recommendation has been made to the City Council and Mayor of San Jose to authorize the Director of Housing to accept an earmark grant award of $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for a pilot job training and employment preparation program for at-risk women incarcerated and/or recently released from jail.
The report from the Director of Housing, Leslye Corsiglia, claims the program will serve 50 at-risk women in the County of Santa Clara for its Office of Women’s Policy and will be called “Skills to Succeed”.
Analysis in Santa Clara County found that it costs an estimated $42,000 to incarcerate a woman for one year. Incarcerated women tend to be single, young, low-level offenders with young children.
The one-year pilot program will demonstrate the best approach to provide incarcerated women or recently released women with a re-entry plan and support to transition back into the community and avoid homelessness.
These women cycle in and out of jail with the effect of their incarceration being felt by their children, resulting in short- and long-term negative outcomes. Many of the women are at an increased risk of losing their children to the child welfare system. Without some intervention, the cycle of incarceration is likely to be repeated and the risk of parentless children increases.
Approximately $200,000 of the grant revenues would be collected in 2010- 2011 with the remainder coming in 2011-2012.
Louis Dettorre can be reached at ldettorre@publicceo.com