Franklin County Community Reentry

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) solicits applications for initiatives which assist law enforcement in rural states and rural areas. The program helps rural states and rural areas to prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs.

The Assistance to Rural Law Enforcement to Combat Crime and Drugs Program, administered by BJA, helps rural states and rural areas prevent and combat crime, especially drug-related crime, and provides for national support efforts, including training and technical assistance programs strategically targeted to address rural needs. In addition, priority consideration will be given to local law enforcement agencies in rural areas where the unit of local government is not eligible to receive a direct allocation from the Recovery Act Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant (JAG) Program or received a direct allocation that was $50,000 or less. Applicants were invited to submit a proposal under any one of the following categories to: (1) combat rural crime; (2) improve rural law enforcement investigations; (3) enhance rural detention and jail operations; (4) facilitate rural justice information sharing; or (5) develop a national training and technical assistance program.

Under the Category 3, Franklin County will use the grant funds to support their Community Reentry Program. The Community Reentry Program's main goal is to reduce the recidivism of jail inmates served by the program and return the inmates to the community as productive, employed citizens. Grant funds will be used to hire a probation officer who will provide full-time job readiness and individual job placement services to inmates. This individual will also be responsible for marketing and negotiating employment opportunities for program participants prior to and after release from the Franklin County Jail. A detention specialist will provide G.E.D. instruction and teach vocational and life skills training modules. Funds will also support a community reentry probation officer to provide follow-up services, case management, and accounting statistical data and reporting for released offenders. Additional funds will also be used to purchase three desk top computers, one copier, and three modules for new vocational skills training. Purchasing this equipment and filling these positions will play a vital role in achieving the goal of reducing recidivism in the county.

CA/CF