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The purpose of Re-Entry in Palm Beach County is to connect returning citizens from our local Palm Beach County Jail, the Florida Department of Corrections, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons to necessary services.  These services may include several strategies used by existing initiatives which are applicable to reentry as well.  They include mental health treatment, employment assistance, substance abuse prevention, housing, welfare, faith-based, family unification and transportation services.

Each year more than 600,000 adult inmates are released from state and federal prisons, while an estimated 100,000 juveniles and youthful offenders are released from secure and residential detention facilities. The return of ex-offenders can threaten the fragile cohesion of many of the nation’s most troubled neighborhoods.

Ex-offenders often return to their community the way they went into prison: lacking adequate education, with little or no access to labor markets, and with few or no connections to positive social support networks. They are likely to experience addiction, mental illness, domestic violence, and a myriad of other challenges that can contribute to an increased likelihood of return to criminal activity, arrest, and reincarceration.

The other goal of reentry is to increase public safety.  The public has a right to expect that the streets will be safe and free of crime.  Reentry is another tool in the public safety tool belt insuring that citizens will be safe in our communities.  

Weed and Seed became involved in reentry because of the locations for this successful strategy.  The city’s housing the programs are in high-crime/high risk areas which have large numbers of returning offenders.  These returning citizens may become re-involved in crime unless there is a focused effort to control reentry through judicial, correctional, and law enforcement supervision.  The Department of Justice newly established funding guidelines coincide with the national emphasis on re-entry.

Currently, the Criminal Justice Commission funds a number of reentry programs through the Palm Beach County Public Defender’s Office, and through Weed and Seed.  The services offered by W&S are subcontracted to Gulfstream Good Will.   

2009 Draft Strategic Plan County Wide Assessment of Re-Entry Services in Palm Beach County

• Proposed Strategetic Plan
• Program Assessment Subcommittee Assessment of Re-entry Services

Carey Haughwout
Chairperson

The Re-entry Task Force began meeting in February 2008.  Initially the committee was temporary in nature, charged to examine remaining unresolved issues or action items from former Governor Bush’s Statewide Initiative. As assessment and several implementation actions were completed.  The Criminal Justice Commission formally adopted the Re-Entry Task Force as an ongoing committee in November 2008.  Palm Beach County Public Defender Carey Haughwout and former Congressman Harry Johnston co-chaired this initial effort.

The task Force is comprised of elected officials, and other stakeholders involved in reentry throughout Palm Beach County.

Palm Beach County Criminal Justice Commission
Reentry Task Force and Subcommittee Membership*
(Subject to Change)
2010

I. Reentry  Task Force

a. Public Defender – Carey Haughwout** Chair,  Jennifer Loyless

b. Veteran’s Administration – Carla DiSilva,

c. Workforce Alliance - Kathryn Schmidt, CEO : Proxy, Doug Saenz

d. Palm Beach State College – Dr. Dennis Gallon, President

e. Literacy Coaltion – Darlene Kostrob , CEO

f. Health Dept – TBD

g. FL DOC - Rosalyn Baker, Community Corrections Circuit IV Administrator

h. Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office - Gena Rowlands and Chief Deputy. Michael Gauger

i.  Department of Children and Family Services: Substance Abuse - Cathy Claud

j. Department of Children and Family Services: Mental Health - Isandra Zayas and Charisse van Biessen

k. Juvenile Justice – Feirmon Johnson

l. State Attorney – Jill Richstone for Michael McAuliffe

m. Palm Beach Department of Public Safety – Nicole Bishop

n. Diocese of Palm Beach County – Tom Lawlor

o. Matthew 25 Ministries – Richard Witherow

p. Gulfstream Goodwill – Michelle Carter

q. Jeanette Gordon, Riviera Beach Community Justice Service Center

r. Palm Beach County Board of Commissioners – Hon. Priscilla Taylor

s. Prison Fellowship – Raeanne Hance, Executive Director

t. Salvation Army (FBOP Reentry Center) – Greg Rydman, Business Manager

u. A & Associates, International – Andrew Luchey, President

v. JAY Ministry – Br. Bob Felder

w. The Lord’s Place – Diana Stanley

II. Employment, Training & Education Subcommittee

a. Michelle Dryer, Workforce Alliance ** Chair

b. Jeff McGinley, President, Florida Training Services, Inc.,

c. Craig Spatara, RESTORE Project

d. Articia Futch, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office

e. Raeanne Hance, Prison Fellowship

f. Dr. Joseph Lee, Principal, Dwyer HS, Palm Beach County School Board

g. TBD, Program Services Director , The Lord’s Place

h. Hal Finkelstein, Chair, Boca Raton SCORE/SBA

i. Bruce Lewis, President , Downtown Development Association

j. Lauren Viet  – FL Division of Vocational Rehabilitation

k. Dr. Marcia Hardney- Palm Beach State College

l. Seabron Smith, Executive Director – Center for Technology, Enterprise & Development

m. Bob Bazzone - CARP

III. Advocacy and Marketing Subcommittee

a. Dennis Grady, President/CEO  ** Chair,  West Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce,

b. Jeanette Gordon, Riviera Beach Community Justice Service Center

c. Michelle Carter, Gulfstream Goodwill

d. Glorian Mazurkia – Gulfstream Goodwill

e. Raeanne Hance, Prison Fellowship

f. Michelle Jacobs, CARP

g. Lynn Harvey, State Attorney

h. John Sullivan – PBSO – Anti-Terrorism

i. Angela McKinnon – A & Associates

IV. Data and Evaluation

a. Bryan Boudreault, Goodwill

b. Articia Futch, PBSO

c. Dr. X. Lu – FAU Faculty – consultant basis only

d. Jennifer Loyless, Office of the Public Defender

e. Dr. Mara Schiff – FAU Faculty

f. Michelle Spangenberg, Courts

g. Pamela Gionfriddo, CEO, Mental Health Association

h. Lynn Harvey – State Attorney