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The Alabama Commission on Reentry, also known as Reentry Alabama, convened on Tuesday for their third meeting to evaluate the critical need for assisting former inmates in successfully reintegrating into society after incarceration.
As one of five states participating in the Reentry 2030 initiative with the Council of State Governments Justice Center, Alabama aims to reduce its recidivism rate by 50 percent by 2030. This reduction is seen as a long-term solution to the state’s ongoing issues with an understaffed and overcrowded prison system.
The commission was revitalized to focus on reducing recidivism and facilitating smoother transitions for individuals reentering society through a conjoined effort of agencies in the state.
Participants include members from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, the Department of Corrections, the community college system, and the Southern Poverty Law Center. Their collective expertise aims to bring together different perspectives to create comprehensive support systems for former inmates.
Darryl Littleton, a member of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, addressed the commission to discuss the parole process and opportunities for former inmates once they leave ADOC facilities.
“Frankly, 95 percent of everyone who is under the jurisdiction of Commissioner Hamm is going to see a parole of some sort. So we have to prepare ourselves, and the Bureau actually has to be prepared to take care of these folks once they are released and moved on,” Littleton said.
Littleton also spoke about some of the work being done through the Parole and Probation Reentry Education and Employment Program Center in Perry County. Here, individuals who are paroled are provided additional resources for mental health, substance abuse problems and job skills training to help them continue down the right path.
“We tailor the programming at PREP based on what you need as an individual, and not just a cookie cutter approach. What that has led to, and I will say this, we’re close to 300 graduates so far, and of the 300 graduates that have been sent there on parole, I’m proud to say today we have not had a single person go back to prison,” said Director Cam Ward.
PREP is available for individuals who have just been granted parole or are already out on parole. Whenever a file reappears before the Board of Pardons and Paroles, PREP can also be ordered as a step towards rehabilitation.
“The truth is, folks get out there and life is difficult. Once they’ve gotten out there they may slip back into drug problems or have some employment issues or something. PREP is a tool that we can use to bring them back and give them some extra help,” said Littleton.
Jerome Dees, Policy Advisor at the Southern Poverty Law Center, inquired about making knowledge about the PREP program more readily available to individuals who’s case will go before the Board of Pardons and Paroles in the near future.
“What we’re seeing in a lot of interviews with institutional parole officers, the word is out that PREP is available, and you have some candidates that are looking at it and saying ‘I’d be interested in PREP.’ That’s a good thing because the word is spreading,” said Littleton.
