Attorney General Kamala D. Harris Wednesday announced the launch of a Los Angeles anti-criminal recidivism program designed to prepare non-violent inmates to re-enter their communities upon release from jail.
Back on Track LA -- a partnership with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the Probation Department and other agencies -- is composed of 90 incarcerated male "triple nons," non-violent, non-serious, and non-sexual offenders, Harris said.
The initiative was created to provide the participants with services needed for a seamless transition from in-custody to out-of-custody life, targeting the time offenders are most likely to recidivate.
"It's giving me a chance to set some goals," said LA County inmate Timothy Peck, a participant in the program. "I'm going to make it work."
Harris said reducing recidivism is key to a smart-on-crime approach to criminal justice.
"Instead of only reacting to crime, we must also focus on prevention to shut the revolving door of the criminal justice system," she said.
The program "will hold offenders accountable to their communities, their families and themselves," she said. "This initiative will give participants the skills to become contributing and law-abiding members of society, which enhances public safety."
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Sheriff Jim McDonnell said that under the Back On Track program, "inmates will receive instruction, mentorship system, and a supportive structure -- both in and out of custody -- which will facilitate their return to our community and give them a better shot of not returning to our care."
The initiative will ideally offer hope "to those who too often cycle in and out of our jails and will serve as a model for national thinking around these important issues," McDonnell said.
