Our View Is UCA parolee program worth $730,000 gamble?

Our View

Is UCA parolee program worth $730,000 gamble?

Here of late it seems there is an emphasis on rehabilitating recently released prison with all sorts of proposals being thrown out there including this latest one from the University of Central Arkansas officials seeking over $730,000 for what they say is nothing more than a pilot program.

We’ve heard suggestions such as rehabilitation facilities, work release centers, workforce development facilities and now these Higher Ed. people believe that with a little of their so-called expert counseling these parolees would be able to fit back into society in a way that would be beneficial to not only themselves but also become assets to their communities.

So then, what we have here is trained career counselors who are graduate students providing individual counseling of one hour a week until the parolees are hired.

We’re told by this associate professor of psychology at UCA the counseling would take place electronically through computers and the Internet using the Good Grid portal to connect offenders with services, volunteers, programs and jobs.

This pilot program requires parolees be at the office of Arkansas Community Corrections in Little Rock where counselors will provide some kind of services from UCA’s Psychology Clinic.

So then, the way we see this is parolees must be disciplined enough to make a point of traveling to Little Rock, make sure they are on time and are dressed property to supposedly meet with these graduate students who are suppose to assure them they can change their lives for the better.

This pilot program even has been given a title. It is proposed “e-career counseling program” and if approved for a $731,336 hand-out of state tax dollars over a three-year period to develop, implement and analyze these graduate students say they can do what others haven’t by keeping recidivism rates low among the 50,000 parolees and probationers released from Arkansas’ prisons.

First of all, before any of our tax dollars are simply handed over we would think custodians of our money would want to know how exactly are these Higher Ed.

gurus coming up with this exact amount of $731,336.

Furthermore, it would be interesting to know exactly what these graduate students have in their bag of goodies that will show the probability of success based on the cost.

Let us say every plan, concept, program or idea that addresses this state’s prison and parolee issues are all worth consideration and review but, when there are requests for additional tax dollars, especially in this case of wanting over $700,000 there should be serious due diligence in play.

The vast majority of these parolees are not college graduates, many haven’t even completed high school and lack self discipline which makes us question this method addressing the problem. If this large sum of tax dollars is handed over it will certainly be interesting to see how successful these graduate students will be in making these convicted felons actually be responsible enough to play by the rules.

Based on what we know, there is clearly a high level of skepticism as to this pilot program’s chance of success.