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Potentially thousands of former prison inmates are set to be released and return to their homes in San Diego over the coming months as part of a federal court order demanding that the state reduce severe overcrowding in its prison system, and Sheriff Bill Gore and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis are joining the county’s Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins to protest the court ruling.
The trio claims that the release of prisoners will ultimately end in massive re-arrests despite, further crowding local jails already filled to capacity after “realignment,” a process in which some inmates were shifted from state to local facilities, also in an attempt to meet the court mandate to reduce prison overcrowding. Despite a drop in the number of former inmates returning to prison, as late as 2011 nearly two-thirds of prisoners ended up back behind bars, mostly for parole violations, drug charges, or property crimes.
“This is clearly something that is very deeply concerning to all of us and a very real threat to public safety,” said Dumanis in a July 22 release.
Despite the opposition to releasing prisoners, in a different section of the same Dumanis release, the DA’s office touts the launch of a new website aimed at helping the formerly incarcerated re-adjust to life outside a prison or jail setting. The site offers information on substance abuse treatment, mental health services, family counseling, and housing and employment.
“This page is an important resource for those being released from custody as they work toward becoming sober, productive, law abiding citizens,” says Dumanis about the website, which Gore’s office also helped to create. “Former inmates and their families can now locate all of these resources in one place, helping them stabilize their lives and not re-offend.”
Potentially thousands of former prison inmates are set to be released and return to their homes in San Diego over the coming months as part of a federal court order demanding that the state reduce severe overcrowding in its prison system, and Sheriff Bill Gore and District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis are joining the county’s Chief Probation Officer Mack Jenkins to protest the court ruling.
The trio claims that the release of prisoners will ultimately end in massive re-arrests despite, further crowding local jails already filled to capacity after “realignment,” a process in which some inmates were shifted from state to local facilities, also in an attempt to meet the court mandate to reduce prison overcrowding. Despite a drop in the number of former inmates returning to prison, as late as 2011 nearly two-thirds of prisoners ended up back behind bars, mostly for parole violations, drug charges, or property crimes.
“This is clearly something that is very deeply concerning to all of us and a very real threat to public safety,” said Dumanis in a July 22 release.
Despite the opposition to releasing prisoners, in a different section of the same Dumanis release, the DA’s office touts the launch of a new website aimed at helping the formerly incarcerated re-adjust to life outside a prison or jail setting. The site offers information on substance abuse treatment, mental health services, family counseling, and housing and employment.
“This page is an important resource for those being released from custody as they work toward becoming sober, productive, law abiding citizens,” says Dumanis about the website, which Gore’s office also helped to create. “Former inmates and their families can now locate all of these resources in one place, helping them stabilize their lives and not re-offend.”