Reducing Recidivism: Community, county leaders tackle issue at summit

SAN BERNARDINO • Ministers, nonprofits, law enforcement and county leaders gathered Thursday for a discussion addressing the county’s dismal recidivism rate at the Reentry Partnership for Safer Communities summit, organized by the San Bernardino County Reentry Collaborative.

Three out of four parolees in San Bernardino County end up back behind bars, according to the California Department of Corrections. The picture becomes bleaker when considering the county has the second highest number of parolees per capita in the state, and the third highest in the nation.

But this isn’t just a law enforcement issue; it’s a community issue, said speaker Samuel Casey, Imani Temple Christian Fellowship assistant pastor and executive director of Congregations Organized for Prophetic Engagement.

This is why Casey and other ministers approached San Bernardino County in 2006 to form a partnership empowering local organizations to join the discussion of how to best provide services to those re-entering their communities after incarceration.

“If this is going to work in this community ... we must involve all parties and segments of this community,” Casey said. “We’ve proven through this process that government, faith-based organizations, community-based organizations, those who have been formerly incarcerated can work together to bring a solution to a problem. And so today we’re here to celebrate that over ... six years ago now, the faith-based community came together with the county with the public health department to address a problem.”

Numerous speakers at the summit described the obstacles facing those re-entering the community — obstacles that may cause them to return to jail or prison.

Former inmates unable to gain acceptable housing, find a job or finish a decent education are more likely to end up back in prison, said Natassia Walsh, a policy analyst with the National Reentry Resource Center. With employers and landlords unwilling to give felons a chance, many end up back on the streets and ultimately turn back to crime.

Receiving appropriate health care is another challenge for parolees, Walsh said. While the state and county have programs to address health issues, such as the epidemic of HIV in inmates, there are systemic challenges to proper diagnosis and consequent access to care.

While the county is already strained to meet all the needs of these parolees, they can partner with nonprofit or faith-based programs that provide services, such as job training or addiction rehabilitation, said Chris Condon of the San Bernardino County Probation Office.

“The thing about faith-based and community-based organizations is, No. 1, they are everywhere within the community,” Condon said during a phone interview after the summit. “They’re within the fabric of the community. ... It’s a great resource for us to tap into.”

Josie Gonzales, chairwoman of the San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors, applauded the efforts of those gathered, especially the organizers of the SBCRC.

“If we can bring about change, if we can impact a few lives, then we can bring hope,” Gonzales said. “We can bring a turnabout to the lives of people in many cases whom we will never meet, but who will in one way or another impact the quality of life of the people that we serve.”

Katie Lucia may be reached at (760) 256-4123 or KLucia@DesertDispatch.com.