Reducing recidivism: Commission looks to offer some offenders free rides to new Day Reporting Center

CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – The Montgomery County Commission will soon vote on a resolution that would provide free rides for criminal offenders who do not have transportation to the new Day Reporting Center, which began operations on Monday. The request from the Community Corrections Program, a grant-funded entity, is an attempt to reduce recidivism in Montgomery County.

The measure would amend the Community Corrections budget to add $65,000 from the undesignated fund balance of the county’s general fund for the purchase of a 15-passenger van. The van would only be available to offenders residing within Montgomery County who do not already have access to transportation to the center.

Community Corrections Program

According to the Montgomery County website, the Community Corrections Program was created by statute in 1985 and allows the sentencing of eligible felony offenders to a community-based alternative to incarceration. The goal of the program was to reduce the probability of continued criminal behavior with front-end community-based supervision for offenders while maintaining the safety of the community.

The Community Corrections Program allows taxpayer dollars to be diverted from the high costs of incarceration and offers local courts increased sentencing options for eligible offenders, the website said.

As part of the Public Safety Act of 2016, Day Reporting Centers were introduced by the Tennessee Department of Correction in addition to the Community Corrections Program. The basic concept of the Day Reporting Center is to acclimate eligible offenders to the daily routine of reporting to a supervised environment where they are expected to adhere to a schedule and engage in productive activities, such as classes related to cognitive-behavior intervention or job readiness.

The Community Corrections Day Reporting Center serves the 19th Judicial District, which covers Montgomery and Robertson counties. Community Corrections Program Manager Christi Holt told the commission on Monday that the Day Reporting Center is new to the community.

“We not only provide the most intensive level of supervision you can get on the street, we also provide treatment programming now, four days a week (Monday through Thursday), four hours a day, and that is why we’ve asked for the assistance on the transportation.”

Reducing recidivism

Several commissioners had questions about the program and the need for transportation. Commissioner Billy Frye asked to have the item taken up separately from the consent agenda after asking whether those with access to transportation already would still have to pay for public transportation or use their own vehicle to get to the center.

Holt told the commission that assistance would be provided to those without a vehicle or support system, but that those who have access to a vehicle or public transportation will be required to report to the center that way.

“The individuals that live out in the county areas that cannot get to the public transit systems – we’re setting them up to fail if we can’t help them get to the center those four days a week. There are no different expectations when they get there. It’s an effort on our part to try and go above and beyond what the state has asked us to do on this grant to try and make everyone successful,” she said. “The ones that have access to transportation, that have their own vehicles, will have no problem getting to the center.

Holt added that the program is a way to reduce the number of warrants issued to repeat offenders who can’t get to the center for lack of a ride.

“We turn around, and we have to do a warrant on those individuals because they’re out of compliance. This is just our effort as a program to try and make the Montgomery County individuals successful,” she said.

For Montgomery County

Commissioners Lisa Prichard and Jeremiah Walker both supported the measure, and even asked why the matter was being discussed.

“The reason we’re discussing it is because we’re getting ready to spend taxpayer dollars and some of us may or may not be familiar with this program,” said Commissioner Nathan Burkholder, noting he would like to learn more about the program before voting. “We’re spending taxpayer dollars. That’s why we’re discussing it. That’s our job.”

Commissioner Joe Smith, a member of the county Budget Committee, clarified some of those questions by running down the thought process of the committee.

“This resolution came to us for a one-passenger van, and it was originally going to serve both Montgomery County and Robertson County. The Budget Committee saw fit to say, ‘Hey, we want to pump the brakes on that and just use this van in Montgomery County, so we don’t rack up the miles on it and Montgomery County is not footing the bill for everybody in Montgomery County and Robertson County in the 19th Judicial District.”

Commissioner Rashidah Leverett added that Community Corrections has helped many and that she would like other commissioners to support the resolution.

“We share responsibilities with Robertson County, but for the purposes of this van, we wanted to make sure that the Montgomery County residents were successful, which is why you see that sentence in red in the budget resolution,” she said.

The measure will be voted on during the formal meeting of the County Commission on March 13 at the County Courthouse.

Correction: A previous version of this article contained the incorrect name of the chair of the budget committee. It has been corrected.