McDonnell Announces Prisoner Re-Entry Council
Yesterday, Governor Bob McDonnell announced a new prisoner re-entry program designed to cut down on repeat offenders. Craig Carper reports.
Backed by a bipartisan group of legislators and Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli, Governor McDonnell issued Executive Order 11, establishing the Virginia Prisoner and Juvenile Offender Re-Entry Council and named one of his former Attorney General staff members, Banci Tewolde, to lead the group.
The Governor also signed one bill that would divert non-violent offenders from incarceration and another that would assist prisoners in working off court costs.
McDonnell said he believes offering stronger support early in the re-entry process will save money and reduce recidivism.
McDonnell Every year, 13,000 adults and 300 juveniles are released from corrections facilities in Virginia. That first twelve months is when a lot of that recidivism occurs so that’s when a lot of work really needs to be done.
Governor McDonnell said the new program will not have a substantial cost to the commonwealth and will be funded primarily through re-allocating existing resources.
Craig Carper, WCVE News, Capitol Square.
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