Media Release

8:55 a.m.

ALACHUA COUNTY, FL - A regional workshop on offender re-entry into our community will be conducted on October 30, 2008 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Multipurpose Center located at 1028 NE 14th Street, Gainesville, FL.    The workshop "Re-entry, not an option, but a reality - Establishing a community re-entry coalition."  The key note luncheon speaker will be Franchatta Barber, Assistant Secretary for Re-Entry, Department of Corrections, appointed October 2008.

The workshop provides an opportunity for our community to educate regional administrators, law enforcement, community corrections, the therapeutic community, faith based initiatives and community leaders on the benefits of developing a comprehensive plan or approach to re-entry.  FACC and the local coalition development group have invited best practices re-entry programs that are evidence based, contain quantifiable measurable data to support success and demonstrate their cost effectiveness as a community alternative. 

The programs and presenters are: The Savannah Impact Program, Pinellas County Ex-Offender Re-entry Coalition, Operation New Hope (faith based), Governor's Re-Entry Advisory Council, the Florida Department of Corrections and the Office of the Attorney General.

The workshop will serve as a catalyst for our region to develop a comprehensive plan working with the Alachua County Department of the Jail, Bradford, Levy, Columbia, Gilchrist Counties Sheriff Offices and Florida Department of Correctional facilities during offender's incarceration through their re-entry into our communities. According to the Florida Department of Corrections Inmate Population Listing (June, 2008), we have 15,367 inmates housed in local counties surrounding the Gainesville, Florida area.

Contact Persons: Larry McDaniel-352-338-7344 lmd@alachuacounty.us & Sharon Longworth-352-338-7346 slongworth@alachuacounty.us

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