Atlantic City, NJ Creates Inmate ‘Reentry Services’ Department

Atlantic City, New Jersey Mayor Marty Small has created an official department within the local government, called “Reentry Services.”

The Mission Statement is as follows:

REDUCING RECIDIVISM THROUGH EMPOWERMENT

Our mission is to reduce recidivism rate in Atfantic City by providing the support and direction needed to obtain vital services post-incarceration. Individualized re-entry planning along with advantageous practices and guidance shall be the hallmark of our work.

Direct from the Atlantic City government website, this is the structure of the program:

“We emphasize creating a plan for an inmate's reentry into the community by encouraging them to attend our reentry workshops.”

These workshops prepare inmates by:

• Developing a reentry plan
• Developing basic life skills

We also encourage them to go to our reentry presentations that discuss services available to them after release such as:

• Finding housing
• Finding a job
• Medical needs
• Substance abuse treatment
• Mental health
• Transportation
• Legal issues

Pre-Release inmates may be able to take part in the Work Release Program. This program:

• Matches an inmate's skills with job opportunities in the community
• Allows inmates to earn at least minimum wage
• Gives an inmate work experience to make the employment process easier after release

Former Atlantic City Board of Education President Cornell Davis has been selected by Small to be the Director of this department.

About Davis’ appointment, Small wrote on his instagram account:

“BREAKING NEWS…

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We have a new department in The GREAT City of Atlantic City...Re-Entry Services.../ would like to introduce our New Re-Entry Services Director Cornell Davis AKA BLESS...Bless will excel in this role helping our ex offender population mainstream back into society. BLESS has a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and an Associates Degree in Education,” wrote Small.

Small also announced the appointment of Reentry Services Program Coordinator Michele Griffin as the reentry program coordinator.

About Griffin, Small wrote:

“We have a new department in The GREAT City of Atlantic City...Re-Entry Services... would like to introduce our New Re-Entry Services Program Coordinator one Michele Griffin @neverchange79 she will excel in this role helping our ex offender population mainstream back into society. She has a Masters Degree,” wrote Small.

Small touts that the following services will be available within this department:

• Client Support Services
• Reentry Planning Services
• Soft Skills / Specialize Education
• Work Readiness Training
• Entrepreneurial and Financial Literacy
  Services
• Navigational Services; In collaboration with Volunteers Of America (VOA), and other community partners, our services include halfway houses and work-lease programs, day reporting, diversion, residential treatment, family supports, and conflict resolution and mediation services.

Few know about existence of this new department. I have directly spoken to 5 different Atlantic City Hall sources about it.

The consensus is that they all believe in and support the notion of second chances … however, they all acknowledged that there are many significant problems in Atlantic City at this time and they feel that this new department is not a proper focus, nor, should it use taxpayer funding in this manner.