DES MOINES –The United States Department of Justice, Office of Justice Planning (US DOJ OJP) recently gave notice to the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC) and Iowa Workforce Development (IWD) that the State has been awarded a $200,000 planning grant to help develop policy and programs aimed at addressing reentry and employment readiness for adults being released from Iowa’s prisons. The application was submitted by the Iowa DOC as the primary grantee; IWD was a partner in the submission, and will be a major collaborator in the implementation.
The planning grant will allow for department staff to collaborate with agencies to focus on examination of statewide, multi-agency policies that could be improved to benefit individuals exiting the prison system. The planning will focus on a target population classified as “moderate risk” to “high risk” as identified by DOC risk measurement instruments.
These efforts are part of the broader mission of the DOC. Commenting on the award, DOC Director Jerry Bartruff said, “I’m really excited for our team to get to work on this new project. We know there is a need to refine some of the policies as well as some practices across our agencies so that we’re preparing incarcerated individuals for success when they return to their community. For every person that we help succeed in reentry- that’s one step closer to our department’s goal of creating opportunities for safer communities.”
Partnering with DOC in this project, IWD will play an important role in the success of any policy or practice reforms that need to occur to improve the rate of successful community reentry for the formerly incarcerated.
“We know that individuals who are gainfully employed as they re-enter the workforce are much less likely to recidivate,” IWD Director Beth Townsend said. “We also know that the second largest pool of available workers is comprised of individuals who have been incarcerated. As such, making sure that we are doing everything we can to ensure these Iowans are prepared to contribute meaningfully to Iowa’s workforce is an imperative. This planning grant will help us better align our resources, so we can make that happen more readily.”
The Iowa Reentry and Employment Training Project will run from October 2018 through October 2019, with a final report being submitted to the US DOJ BJP upon completion.
Just saying – is this a socialist program to train illegals – just a shade of tongue twisting ? I am probably wrong but elected officials are more than often persuaded by money from wealthy donors and their lobbyists (bribers).
No they will probably hire more state workers to look the other way as the inmates continue to bring drugs in the halfway houses. We have numerous drug dogs that need training. However, the local halfway house is afraid to use them as the drug dogs would go crazy at Bejeweled Clark.
This is fine if they are using the money to train people in a trade profession / welding/mechanics/ etc. – something where they can improve their livelihood. NOT a employee of Walmart -Mc Burger etc. The money should be invested in classes at junior colleges such as adult education or night courses to further their goals in life. A hired government employee telling them bullchit does’nt cut it.