House Bill 1177

AN ACT TO ESTABLISH A PILOT REENTRY PROGRAM FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCCESSFULLY TRANSITIONING FORMER OFFENDERS FROM CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES INTO THEIR LOCAL COMMUNITIES; TO PROVIDE THAT THE PROGRAM SHALL BE A JOINT EFFORT OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS, THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, THE DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH AND THE GOVERNING AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI; TO ESTABLISH THE REENTRY PROGRAM COUNCIL; TO PRESCRIBE THE DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COUNCIL IN IMPLEMENTING THE PROGRAM; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:

SECTION 1. (1) There is established a pilot Reentry Program for the purposes of enhancing public safety in the City of Jackson, reducing recidivism and providing an effective strategy for successfully transitioning offenders from correctional facilities to local communities.

(2) To the extent that state funds are available and appropriated by the Legislature for the purposes of the program, the Mississippi Department of Corrections, Department of Health, Department of Mental Health and the governing authorities of the City of Jackson, Mississippi, shall jointly develop a comprehensive pilot Reentry Program for offenders exiting any Mississippi correctional facilities and entering the City of Jackson. At a minimum, the pilot Reentry Program shall:

(a) Provide individualized pre- and post-release assessment of a participant offender's needs. Based on that assessment, the program should assist the offender in finding the services and developing the skills necessary for a successful transition into the community;

(b) Provide referrals to state agencies and organizations that offer appropriate services to meet an offender's assessed needs, including, employment and career planning, substance abuse treatment, mental health treatment, academic and vocational training, legal services, housing assistance and any other similar service;

(c) Promote, where appropriate, the providing of these services to former offenders and coordinate the efforts of various public and private entities to provide supervision and services to former offenders after reentry into the community;

(d) Address systems under which family members of offenders are involved with facilitating the successful reentry of those offenders into the community, including removing obstacles to the maintenance of family relationships while the offender is in custody, strengthening the family's capacity to establish and maintain a stable living situation during the reentry process where appropriate, and involving family members in the planning and implementation of the reentry process;

(e) Facilitate and encourage timely and complete payment of restitution and fines by former offenders to victims and the community; and

(f) If possible, coordinate the establishment of reentry courts to monitor offenders returning to the community and to provide those returning offenders with (i) drug and alcohol testing and treatment, and (ii) mental and medical health assessment services.

(3) The program shall be implemented by the Reentry Council, which will include the following members:

(a) The Commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Corrections, or a designee. The Commissioner shall serve as the chairman of the council;

(b) The State Health Officer from the State Department of Health, or a designee;

(d) The Mayor of the City of Jackson, or a designee.

(4) The council is authorized to create a task force to assist the council in the performance and discharge of its duties. The council and any task force it creates are assigned to the Department of Corrections for administrative purposes. The Department of Corrections is also authorized to receive and manage any funds appropriated for the implementation of the program.

(5) The council shall submit written strategic plans and annual reports for the program to the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Chief Justice of the Mississippi Supreme Court as follows:

(a) On or before September 1, 2015, the council shall submit a five-year strategic plan. At a minimum, the plan shall include measurable goals for each program year as follows:

(i) The number of former offenders who will be served;

(ii) The percentage increase in housing units available to former offenders in the program;

(iii) The percentage of employment among former offenders in the program; and

(iv) The percentage decrease in recidivism among offenders in the program.

(b) On or before September 1, 2016, and each year thereafter, the council shall submit an annual report on the status of the goals for the program year and all other matters related to the program.

(6) The council and any task force it may create shall stand abolished on the day that the council submits its final annual report or on September 1, 2020, whichever is first.

(7) This section shall stand repealed on September 1, 2020.

SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2015.