State prison inmates from Washington County to be included in study
About 80 inmates from Washington County who are being released from state prisons will be part of a four-state study aimed at reducing recidivism and helping former inmates find jobs.
The effort, announced last week in Pittsburgh, is part of a program being conducted by Dr. Carrie Pettus-Davis, professor of Florida State University’s Institute for Justice Research and Development, and known as “Safe Streets and Second Chances.”
She joined Department of Corrections Secretary John Wetzel; Michael Smith, president and chief executive officer of Goodwill of Southwestern Pennsylvania; and Mark Holden, general counsel of Koch Industries and advisory chairman of Safe Streets and Second Chances, also known as S3C, in announcing the effort.
Inmates who have volunteered for the program will meet with Department of Corrections staff and those who are doing the research to gather information about education and treatment programs completed during incarceration and develop a re-entry plan.
Researchers will follow former inmates for 15 months.
Others among the 400 Pennsylvania inmates will be released to Allegheny and Fayette counties. Inmates will be directed to job-training programs sponsored by Goodwill Industries in Pittsburgh and Connellsville.
Inmates in Texas, Florida and Kentucky also are participating in the program.