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A new report out today by the Governor’s Ex-offender Task Force says Florida needs to get serious about educating and training inmates if it wants to cut down on re-offenders. The report points out that funding for programs to keep inmates free of drugs and help them develop job skills has been cut over the last five years, while the population of prison inmates has risen nearly 20 percent. Governor-elect Charlie Crist says he supports a more comprehensive approach to helping inmates get their lives together upon release so they don’t victimize more people.
“Obviously the more that come out of our system that can stay productive participating citizens with occupations, it’s better for everybody. Not just the individual themselves, but it’s better for our state. And so I think if we could have more education, more training while they’re incarcerated so that once they come out they can have the opportunity for productive lives, that’s better for everybody. We need to get the recidivism rate down” says Crist.
The report found more than a quarter of the 30-thousand people released from Florida prisons each year are back behind bars within three years. Among the recommendations – that the Department of Corrections should begin pre-release planning with inmates starting on their very first day of incarce