Community Corrections Center Pilot Program – A Cost Savings for Taxpayers
Lee County’s pilot program to provide a Community Corrections Center for
substance abusers is moving strongly forward in an effort to prevent
recidivism in our county jails.
This sincere and very important county effort will allow staff to
identify options for a facility site and look at construction and
operational costs of an initial phase and/or pilot program for this
needed project. County staff also is looking at who should operate the
facility – the county itself or a civilian staff working under the
sheriff.
The purpose of the facility is to prevent expensive cyclical
incarcerations that are more expensive to the county taxpayers. The
Center’s programs would focus on holding offenders accountable for their
actions while also providing them with treatment for substance abuse and
mental health issues. The Center’s personnel also would help offenders
gain employment as well as housing and enable them to return to the
community successfully, and hopefully preventing their return to jail.
Kevin Lewis, Chief Executive Officer of SWFAS, says the population of
Lee County’s jails is about 2,000 at any time, and of those, about 140
or more are substance abuse related. “Access to substance abuse
treatment is critical to reducing incarceration rates,” Lewis said. “And
Lee County has been a very strong supporter of substance abuse treatment
access locally, but Florida’s state commitment to this issue is not
nearly as strong.” This means it is up to Lee County to take care of its
citizens not only with up front treatment, but also reducing the costs
of repeated incarcerations to the Lee County taxpayer.
The Justice Policy Institute released a study in January of 2008 that
states “increases in admissions to substance abuse treatment programs
are associated with reductions in crime rates.” This is an added benefit
of providing this service.
Lee County Human Services began the intensive planning for a Community
Corrections facility in July 2008 with a trip to a model facility in
Washington County, Oregon. Since then, Lee County has set aside $10
million in reserves for initial planning, construction and operations
though none of the money has yet been spent. Other progress has been
made in completing a risk assessment study to determine the need for the
facility and the bed capacity and then a draft Planning Study was issued
in May.
The treatment beds in the Community Corrections facility would be a part
of the overall jail system, but less expensive to operate. For instance,
offenders needing special care would cost the county half as much as a
jail bed to build and a third of the cost to operate than the downtown
Fort Myers and on Ortiz Boulevard maximum security facilities. Lee
County Human Services staff has recommended that because the need for
these beds is increasing due to a rise in substance abuse, that the
planning process continue, incorporating 350 community corrections beds
into the county corrections system
Reduced Incarceration, public safety, reduced recidivism, and cost
savings mean that Lee County can only benefit by providing these
services. It is important that we continue to move forward in this plan.