“As a society, we cannot send a person to prison and then put them back on the street without the resources and tools needed to succeed, and expect them not to reoffend and end up right back in prison.” District Attorney Jody Owens.
The Hinds County District Attorney’s Reentry Program assists incarcerated individuals who are nearing their release from prison and intend to return to Hinds County. The program focuses on successfully integrating these individuals back into society as productive citizens by assisting them with the various challenges that recently incarcerated individuals face such as securing housing, transportation, employment, and other necessities critical to successful reentry.
The Reentry Program is made possible through a partnership with ACLU of Mississippi, and is led by a Reentry Coordinator who acts as a liaison between the Hinds County District Attorney’s Office and various partners and community groups to assist incarcerated individuals obtain the resources they need to return to society as productive citizens.
According to a 2021 study by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics, approximately 6 in 10 (62%) of prisoners released from prison in 2012 were arrested within 3 years, and 7 in 10 (71%) were arrested within 5 years. That same study, which tracked prisoners released in 2012 from State prison in 34 sample States from 2012 to 2017, found that nearly half (46%) of prisoners returned to prison within 5 years.