This story was reported and written by Radio IQ.
About 10,000 people will be released from state prisons and jails this year, and Governor Glenn Youngkin worries that one in five will end up back behind bars within the next three years.
“Across the country and here in Virginia we see surprisingly, disappointingly, shockingly high recidivism rates." he told a crowd at Goodwill in Richmond. (The non-profit says 15% of its workforce has done time in prison.)
Youngkin says prisoners who’ve served their sentence can make a positive contribution to society, make families whole again and reduce the burden on police if they have the basics: a job, secure housing, healthcare, mental health and substance abuse treatment if needed.
So he called on state agencies, non-profits and the public sector to help ensure people get those things. Specifically, he urged Virginia’s community colleges to offer programs for people behind bars and suggested prisons offer online education. At the justice reform non-profit Julian, Chuck Meire cheered.
“Virginia’s community college system is one of the commonwealth’s greatest strengths, and it’s something that needs to be incorporated into our state prison system.," he said. "Giving prisoners access to education and skill-building opportunities will set them up for success on the outside.”
And he was pleased when the governor urged the Department of Motor Vehicles to streamline issuing of identification.
“You can’t get a job without ID. You can’t get health insurance without ID. You can’t get housing without ID," he explains. "One of the more common problems that we’ve seen in people returning from incarceration is that they don’t have a valid ID.”
He expressed hope that lawmakers would appropriate some money for what Youngkin called the STAND TALL – STAY STRONG – SUCCEED TOGETHER REENTRY INITIATIVE, noting the agencies that could do more for prison inmates have limited resources.
“All these existing agencies have full-time jobs and a lot on their plate," Meire says. "I think it’s a very positive step that we’re seeing cooperation encouraged, but I do think something that would be helpful and needed is some additional funding through the legislature.”
And, he added, Youngkin has just one more year in office. For the initiative to be permanent, lawmakers would have to put something on the books.
“A key challenge now will be to make sure that any planning and action that’s taken during the rest of this governor’s administration is continued into the next governor’s administration – to make sure that we don’t lose that momentum.”
The governor asked for help for this program from the almighty and from volunteers.
“We have online the volunteer application process at the Department of Corrections’ website," he told the crowd. "Go and volunteer!”
His order called for hiring a coordinator and setting up a task force to implement the initiative.
