A group working to give fiscal recommendations for a new Monroe County Jail says reentry services for those leaving jail could be more effective if they had more resources and better collaboration.
The Justice Fiscal Advisory Committee, or JFAC met Monday night. It was scheduled to meet Thursday but canceled after severe storms knocked out power and destroyed trees in the area.
The meeting focused on reducing recidivism by removing community ‘silos.’ Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton says the county as well as the rest of the country, are dramatically overincarcerated.
“That for every dollar that is invested in that building in operating a new piece of the criminal justice system, that we dedicate another new dollar to help people not be incarcerated,” Hamilton said.
Reentry to the community involves many social services with even some grassroots organizations to help with healthcare, housing, employment, or even getting a copy of a birth certificate.
County council member Jennifer Crossley says the pieces are there to help right now.
“We have a lot of social service programs and organizations, and I feel like everybody works in their own pocket, we don’t all work together,” Crossley said.
New Leaf New Life reentry mentor and support specialist Misty James says when organizations worked together they helped her overcome her own addiction.
“So they worked on a plan and got me into Amethyst House and that changed my life. I never used a drug again afterwards. I never did,” she said.
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New Leaf New Life served more than 700 people in the past three months and last year helped house 75.
JFAC chair and county council member Peter Iversen says they’ll propose committee recommendations to the county council in September.
The group is scheduled to meet again next Monday.
