County aims to keep former offenders out of jail
August 24, 2010
By Staff
King County Council members have called for County Executive Dow Constantine to develop a plan to help people transition from jail to society, and to prevent them from re-offending.
Issaquah-area County Councilman Reagan Dunn serves as chairman of the council Law, Safety, Health and Human Services Committee. He touted the proposal after council members’ unanimous decision July 19.
“It’s important that we as policy makers consider how best to move people from jail back to living constructive lives,” Dunn said in a statement. “Sometimes, a very small adjustment will keep someone from re-offending. That’s something we should think about and plan for.”
King County has missed out on opportunities to compete for more than $100 million in federal money through the Second Chance Act. The program requires local governments to create re-entry plans to keep former offenders out of jail.
“King County is already very successful with the re-entry programs that we have,” Dunn said. “It would be a mistake for us not to take advantage of every opportunity to build on that success.”
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