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Dear Friends,
This month, I had the opportunity to spend time with the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office as part of National Coffee with a Cop Day. I met with the newest graduating class of sheriff's deputies as well as Pulaski County Sheriff Eric Higgins (pictured below).
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National Coffee with a Cop Day started in 2016 as an opportunity to encourage communication and positive interactions between law enforcement agencies and the public. Community involvement is extremely important to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Office as they seek to increase trust and cooperation between the police and central Arkansans. |
The evening before I met with the officers, they were out in the community for National Night Out, an annual community-building campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie. I am glad to see Sheriff Higgins make community involvement a top priority, especially for the newest officers on the force.
During my visit, one of the major topics discussed was lowering the recidivism rate in our prisons. Many of the officers I met work directly with inmates who are being released back into the public. The United States currently spends $34,000 per year per inmate--a tab that is picked up by the taxpayer, and a number that is greatly affected by re-offenders. Addressing the problem of recidivism by encouraging hard work and opening opportunities that can lead to employment benefits all of us.
This is the core idea behind my legislation, the Shift Back to Society Act.
Any American in good standing with the law, regardless of previous offenses, deserves the opportunity to improve their own lives through the dignity of a job, while playing a role in the betterment of our society. The Shift Back to Society Act would allocate $5 million per year for the program, would require no additional funding, and would ensure that funds already appropriated for the Department of Justice would be used to support the program.
There are many success stories of former inmates re-integrating into society through programs sponsored by organizations right here in central Arkansas. One story I told the Pulaski Officers is from Little Rock resident, Mallory Goff (pictured below). Mallory grew up in a home familiar to many of us: middle-class, private school, cheerleader. Mallory also did what many high schoolers do when unsupervised and dealing with the stresses of classwork, extracurriculars, and high expectations – she experimented with drugs.
Fast forward a few years, after she married and had her children, her addiction only got worse. Eventually, Mallory ended up losing her children and went to jail numerous times. It was during her last stint of incarceration that Mallory began her journey with the Exodus Project, a Little Rock non-profit focused on reducing recidivism in Arkansas through the education of offenders upon re-entry to society.
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It was about halfway through the twelve-week course that something clicked for her. She realized that this program was her chance to make a better life for herself and her family. For the first time in a long time, Mallory had hope.
Today, Mallory is on staff at the Exodus Project as the Academy Director. She is remarried – to another successful Exodus participant, and they were just approved for their first home loan. |
Stories like Mallory’s are the reason why we must pass the Shift Back to Society Act. Our criminal justice system should serve not only to punish, but to integrate people back into society.
Like all of our CEI issues, this one transcends partisan boundaries. By implementing more opportunities for education and skill development, the Shift Back to Society Act offers aid to incarcerated Americans seeking the chance to live a better life.
Initiatives like the Exodus Project prove that education leads to better choices, jobs, and more accountability that can help break the cycle of criminal behavior in communities across the country. This is good for everyone, especially for our law enforcement officers in Pulaski County.
To learn more about the Exodus Project, click HERE.
To learn more about community events sponsored by the Pulaski County Sherrifs Department, follow them on Facebook HERE.
Sincerely,
Representative French Hill
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