Newly elected Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Sarah Stewart recently met with the Alabama Joint Reentry Commission, where she announced her plans to use the judicial branch to support the state in reducing recidivism among released prisoners by 50% by 2030.
Stewart was elected chief justice last week after the current seat holder, Tom Parker, was age-restricted from seeking another term. At the beginning of the meeting, Stewart spoke to the commission on the judiciary's plans to help accomplish the commission's goal of significantly reducing the rate of re-offenders in the state.
The commission, headed by Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles director Cam Ward, is meant to ensure the success of released inmates as part of the state's involvement with the national "Reentry 2030" initiative. Alabama was the second state in the country to implement the program.
The commission is made up of 15 participating agencies, including lawmakers, the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC), Alabama Community College System's Ingram State Technical College, Alabama Department of Mental Health, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, Alabama Department of Veterans Affairs, Alabama Department of Labor, Alabama Department of Human Resources, Alabama Medicaid Agency, Alabama Department of Youth Services and the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Before hearing from other speakers, Stewart highlighted the "change in culture and direction" she intends for the judicial branch to move forward under her leadership and how it would assist the state's goals to reduce recidivism.
One of Stewart's new initiatives is to create a criminal division within the state's judicial branch to help prevent criminals from reoffending. According to Stewart, the criminal division will consolidate several arms of the judiciary into one division and be led by Alabama Sentencing Commission Executive Director Bennet Wright.
"Once somebody is in front of a trial judge, they've committed a crime; they're there as a defendant," Stewart said. "So what are we trying to do with that criminal defendant? Well, obviously, we're trying to make sure that there are some consequences. That people are accountable for their actions to society. But what we're really trying to do is keep them from offending again. We are trying to get that recidivism rate as low as we can get it."
She continued, "We let 95% of our prisoners out of prison, and they're going to come home to their communities, so what can we do as the judicial branch and as judges to make sure that when those folks come home, that they are not going to reoffend. And hopefully, we keep them from even having to go because that is truly the ultimate consequence for any criminal action."
Stewart explained the criminal division as "a continuum of services and stepped-up consequences depending on the reactions of the criminal defendant," granting certain defendants a chance to avoid prison time by completing state-mandated programs.
Stewart described a bottom-up system of intervention within the criminal division, beginning with the state's Court Referral Officer (CRO) program, which deals with more misdemeanor crimes and aids in preventing further criminal escalation. The second would involve the accountability court system, like drug, veteran and mental health courts, which Stewart claims will continue to hold criminals accountable while still endeavoring to reduce continued criminal behavior.
According to Stewart, the final rung of intervention is community corrections and state probation programs run by the parole board. These interventions are "in lieu of prison," giving criminals "one more shot" before being incarcerated.
Stewart also hinted at plans for a job court program to aid those recently released from prison in obtaining employment, further aiding in reducing recidivism. Stewart pointed to an "extremely successful" job court program in Selma, where the judge assured that recently released inmates had the proper skills and tools needed to get a job. The Selma court also partnered with a faith-based organization that helped transport recently released inmates to community college or a job until they secured permanent transportation.
"He was able to place almost all of the folks in that program in some kind of job," Stewart continued. "And that's really what we need for Alabama, right? I mean, part of workforce development is part of all of our concern. So if we can put in some kind of job court-looking thing as part of the reentry program, we think that could really help us get those recidivism rates down."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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