Worcester Asks State For $5 Million For Inmate Re-entry Programs

WORCESTER, MA—Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. joined fellow DAs across the Commonwealth to ask the Legislature to appropriate $5 million for re-entry programs for inmates who have completed their sentences, he announced.

“The money would help fund community-based residential re-entry programs,” Early said in a statement. “No one should leave their jail cell on Monday without services in place on Tuesday to help them safely adjust to life in the community; it’s a recipe for recidivism.”

The District Attorneys unanimously support the Community Resources for Justice Plan to seek up to $5 million from the Legislature to fund community-based residential re-entry programs, according to the announcement.

The District Attorneys, in a letter to the Legislature, say they have for some time strongly supported “additional resources and financial commitment to post-conviction supervision and re-entry programs.”

The aim of the re-entry programs is to reduce recidivism and give people the services needed to succeed outside of jail. The community-based programs provide a safe place to live, a job, case management and behavioral addiction treatment.

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