Published: February 28, 2008 11:42 pm         

Vigo County is 10th in state for inmates returning from prison

More than 300 prisoners set to be released in 2008

TERRE HAUTE — The largest agency in Indiana keeps trying to get smaller, and eliminating repeat visitors is the task at hand.

Officials from Indiana’s Department of Correction hosted a town hall meeting Thursday at Indiana State University’s Hulman Student Union, where local law enforcement was told that preparing inmates for re-entry into the community is the best way to reduce recidivism.

Bruce Lemmon, IDOC’s deputy commissioner for administration, said the agency’s mantra is “public safety.”

According to information provided during the presentation, Vigo County was 10th in the state for inmates returning from prison, with 320 coming home in 2007.

About 319 are projected to be released here in 2008.

And the latest figures suggest that as many as 46.2 percent could be heading right back to prison once out, if similar trends continue.

Lemmon, who’s worked in corrections since the 1970s, said Indiana always has done a good job keeping people behind bars, but keeping them out continues to be the challenge.

The three factors that determine if an offender will go back to prison are employment, housing and transportation, he said.

“If they’re not employed, they’re going to have problems when they get out,” he said.

David Burch, director of re-entry for IDOC, said the process of preparing inmates for release begins their first day in prison.

Each inmate begins a needs-based Re-Entry Accountability Plan upon registration, he said.

“It’s truly everybody’s responsibility,” he said in reference to the agencywide efforts.

Burch said staff assist inmates in obtaining birth certificates, Social Security cards and other identification and licenses if they do not have them. “Services are intermingled. It’s not just a DOC or probation issue,” he said.

Applications for Medicaid, Temporary Aid for Needing Families and other social services also are provided to inmates, he said.

“We’re trying to prepare them as best we can,” he said, echoing Lemmon’s theme that employment, housing and transportation keep people from falling back into crime.

“They’re going to have to earn that money somewhere,” he said. “Being employed is the vital piece.”

Most of the jobs are “resume-builders,” he said, adding that $6- and $7-an-hour jobs are often the first step in the road back from prison.

Burch added that IDOC no longer releases inmates on weekends or holidays, as that often leaves the person stranded with no services available to help them get home.

All of this is aimed at preventing recidivism, which Burch referred to as “failing.”

“It’s tragic that our budget is $1.3 billion a year,” he said of IDOC.

Lemmon said the agency employs around 9,500 individuals, excluding private contractors, making it Indiana’s largest state agency.

Along the lines of helping people get work once freed, Lemmon noted that Indiana has one of the highest levels of education in America for sex offenders re-entering society.

Along with General Equivalency Degree programs, the state has initiatives with several universities that enable inmates to earn college degrees at their own expense.

“That is not a program supported by taxpayer dollars,” he pointed out, noting that inmates must find grants or student loans to pay for the tuition.

And that makes a big difference considering the 179 male sex offenders and eight females currently in Vigo County, both said.

The recidivism rates for sex offenders drop from 21 percent to 3 percent when educational and treatment programs such as the Sex Offender Containment and Accountability Program are used.

Drug addicts also are afforded programs such as Clean Living is Freedom Forever, results from which have been very positive, Lemmon said.

Of the crimes which landed Vigo County residents in state custody, 26.7 percent were labeled “controlled substance,” but Lemmon said between 70 and 80 percent of the total crimes involved drugs at some level.

Burch said public safety and successful re-entry are directly tied. “Ideally we want the community to know that we’re transparent,” he said, praising area community corrections and work-release programs and noting the importance of keeping the community updated on inmate release.

Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse attended the presentation and said he plans to follow up on the information provided.

“It’s nice to know when someone’s coming back if they have issues,” he said in reference to state databases that detail an inmate’s history from the first day of incarceration.

Brian Boyce can be reached at (812) 231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.



Demographics

• Total IDOC incarcerations from Vigo County — 389

• Registered sex offenders in Vigo County

Male — 179

Female — 8

• IDOC admissions

2006 — 294

2007 — 210

• Gender

Male — 92 percent

Female — 8 percent

• Race/ethnicity

White — 65.8 percent

Black — 30.3 percent

Hispanic — 2.3 percent

Other — 1.6 percent

• Type of offense (percentage)

Crimes against person — 36.8

Controlled substance — 26.7

Crimes against property — 21.9

Non IC-35 offense – 6.2

Substantive criminal – 3.9

Weapons – 3.1

Public administration – 0.8

• IDOC releases to Vigo County

2006 — 379

2007 — 303



TOP 10 COUNTIES

1. Marion County — 5,204

2. Allen County — 1,255

3. Elkhart County — 846

4. Vanderburgh County — 752

5. St. Joseph — 684

6. Madison County — 572

7. Lake County — 541

8. Wayne County — 504

9. Johnson County — 398

10. Vigo County — 320