Alabama elected officials and criminal justice reform advocates will continue their efforts to reduce the recidivism rate for people who were formerly incarcerated.
The Alabama Reentry Task Force convened the first meeting Tuesday after a joint resolution by the Legislature authorized it to build on efforts from the Reentry Alabama Commission to reduce the barriers that people face once they are released from prison.
“The only way you are ever going to truly reduce recidivism is to provide the full body of services,” said Cam Ward, chair of the Task Force and director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.
Candidates need mental health treatment, substance abuse and other social services that include medical care and workforce development, Ward said.
“All that together, one agency can’t do that,” Ward said. “There is no one law that does that. You need five, six, seven, eight agencies working together.”