Up until now, there have been precious few places for the newly released Los Angeles County Jail inmates to go once they hit the streets. For those who have family or friends, there hasn’t been much issue. However, not every inmate is so lucky.
The great news is, on Thursday, May 22nd, the first-ever Community Reentry and Resource Center as opened at the Los Angeles Sheriff department’s jail complex in downtown L.A.
It’s located within the lobby at the Twin Towers Correctional Facility and provides inmates with finding jobs, substance abuse programs, food assistance, mental health counseling and medication within their communities.
The office is staffed by Los Angeles Sheriff’s deputies, social workers and probation officers, as well as representatives of the nonprofit organizations healthRIGHT 360 and Volunteers of America. The non-profits will assist the newly released inmates with finding housing, tattoo removal, and family reintegration.
According to statistics, those who have recently been released from prison are at the greatest risk of recidivism – that is, going back to committing crimes on the streets and ending up right back in jail.
The CRRC, as it is called, has been opened with the hope that those who are most at risk after being released from jail will be able to obtain assistance and remain out of jail.
