Oakland, Calif. (AP) -- A parole program that aims to steer ex-convicts away from lifestyles that may lead them back to prison is being viewed as a model for other programs throughout the state.
The program has helped reduce the number of Oakland parolees found in violation of the terms of their release by nearly half since it was started in 1999. The city also has seen a 19 percent decline in the number of parolees who evade supervision by their agents.
Statistics in recent years have shown about 80 percent of Oakland homicide victims had prior felony arrests.
A collaboration between city police and state parole officers, the program offers weekly orientations that help with job placement and warn against the dangers of falling back into a criminal lifestyle. Parolees who don’t attend the sesssions are considered in violation of their parole and are tracked down by officers.
Oakland Mayor Jerry Brown, who oversaw the creation of the program, said the meetings give recent parolees a better chance of staying on the wagon.
“Many of them have only one skill set: standing on the corner selling dope, burglarizing, being a lookout or in some other way being part of a criminal enterprise,” Brown said.
Parole officials said the existence of 14 other programs in cities such as Richmond, Vallejo and Sacramento is evidence of the program’s success.
“They’re coordinating resources and seeing tremendous results,” said Sharon Jackson, the state’s acting administrator of the Oakland program.
Earlier this year, state Corrections Department officials announced a plan to establish parolee programs across the state.
For parolees like Tomas Gonzales, 40, the program provides a chance to stop the cycle that has kept him in and out of prisons for 18 years.
“A lot of people are scared of a guy like me, with a record and these tattoos,” said Gonzales. “I need to keep a positive attitude, and seeing guys here who have turned their lives around can help me do that.”