Going through the experience of taking public transportation, being drug-tested and meeting with a probation officer might not seem like something anyone would volunteer to do; however, the City of Greensboro is looking for 100 people who would like to do so as a learning exercise.
In observance of National Co-Responders and Crisis Responders Week, the City of Greensboro’s Office of Community Safety is offering residents a chance to take part in a “reentry simulation” that will give participants a first-hand view of the problems faced by former inmates when they leave prison or jail and reenter society.
The simulation will take place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18 at the Simkins Indoor Sports Pavilion at 1500 Barber Park Dr. in Greensboro.
Residents who would like to participate in the reentry simulation can register online. Registration is limited to the first 100 people. For more information about the Office of Community Safety and its programs, you can visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/OCS.
The City of Greensboro’s Office of Community Safety, which was established in September of 2022, has a stated mission of “creating a community-centered and safe Greensboro for all.”
A description from the city of the unique September event explains, “As a reentry simulation, this experience will allow participants to ‘step into’ the shoes of justice-involved individuals navigating life immediately after incarceration. Attendees will be assigned personal profiles and adopt a weekly schedule that includes numerous required tasks such as using public transportation and meeting with support groups, among other real-life hurdles like completing drug screenings, lack of income, and breaking probation.”
The September event will have an “added layer” of showing the experience of those dealing with mental health challenges and/or substance abuse.
The hope of the Office of Community Safety is to create awareness of the prevalence of former inmates who are facing obstacles encountered in the criminal justice system – and also to show how mental illness can add additional barriers to an already complex situation.
Erin Williams, team leader for the city’s Behavioral Health Response Team, said that one goal of the office is for those released from incarceration to take life paths that keep them from going back to jail or prison.
“The Office of Community Safety exists to provide options for individuals rather than ending up in the criminal justice system; however, not everyone has the benefit of being connected to the Behavioral Health Response Team or other Office of Community Safety programs,” Williams said this week. “It’s important that people realize the gaps that the OCS works to fill so that OCS programs are supported by the community and so that other municipalities can consider implementing similar programs if they don’t already exist.”
Some of the official goals of that office are as follows:
- Increase public safety through a holistic and trauma-informed response to calls for service.
- Allow for transparency and accountability for public safety systems and community.
- Work collectively to build the public safety ecosystem.
- Enhance partnerships within internal City of Greensboro departments and with community stakeholders to strengthen community engagement and build trust and legitimacy within public safety.
Please research how much of the funding they just received is going toward this ridiculous initiative; because they (many of the state cabinet departments) are NOT adhering to Coopers Executive Order 303 as directed.
So another program for ” justice involved individuals” …guess my tax dollars are really being used wisely.
Uh, no. Any idea how much this program is going to cost?
If you want to put public safety first put on the streets of GSO a speed gun, a patrolman and start giving EXPENSIVE tickets to anyone going 10 MPH over speed limit.
Proposed program waste of money. My program will produce money and accomplish someting.
It is now a proven boondoggle…two studies conducted and published this year prove that co-responder models do not result in better outcomes. Stop taking resources away from the police.
Evan Marie Lowder, Eric Grommon, Katie Bailey, Bradley Ray,
Police-mental health co-response versus police-as-usual response to behavioral health emergencies: A pragmatic randomized effectiveness trial,
Social Science & Medicine,
Volume 345,
2024,
116723,
ISSN 0277-9536,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116723.
(https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953624001679)
“Results were null: the alternative response did not enhance the overall effectiveness of the standard treatment in terms of diversion from criminal-legal systems or future engagements with health systems.” “…the co-response team model reported here was not more effective than standard response.”
AND
Hofer, M., Lu, T., Bailey, K. et al. An economic evaluation of a police–mental health co-response program: data from a pragmatic randomized controlled trial. J Exp Criminol (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11292-024-09635-8
“The analysis revealed no net monetary benefit in terms of reduced social and healthcare service utilization from the co-response program.”
Bob, Facts only get in the way of progressive policy implementation. Reality clouds the urgent dreams of demoncrat desires. Those of us living in this dimension of the time-space continuum must face the ultimate Fact that Greensboro COG under the present makeup is going to put as few resources into actual safety of their citizens as they possibly can. At the same time they lavish grants and programs such as the above to appease their demoncrat minion.
Like what every proponent of socialism says, ‘it just wasn’t done right but our plan will work’. More magical thinking is what this “community stakeholder” thinks of yhe ehole mess. Like the “Cure Violence” program, it is just another money hole.
Whose special project is this one ?
Here is the problem with a ‘simulation’ like this…it’s a simulation…it’s not real life…all the actions are preordained and do not include real life answers, situations, problems, and general public reaction.
You want to “simulate” the real life? Lock them up for a week, then go thru the process you are outlining for 30 days.THEN you will have an idea as to what people go through that are in this situation.
I am a realist, not an idealist.
Open it to middle school/high school students who see criminal lifestyles promoted in music, movies, etc.
Never have I heard such gobbledygook. While in complete agreement there needs to be some level of criminal justice reform that allows for people to mainstream back into society after they have paid their debt, this program is just a front to use city dollars to create cushy jobs for bureaucrats with Sociology degrees. None of what is proposed here will have a meaningful impact on reducing crime or recidivity. It’s a touchy feely scam by those who have to justify their existence for feeding from the trough. The term “justice impacted individual” says it all. If you don’t want the stigma of being a criminal don’t commit the crime. If you have mental health or substance abuse issues there mechanisms already in place. What a joke.
Yes Joebucket. I thought this was a joke. I thought it was the Rhino Times “chuckle of the day”, but they are serious about this aren’t they? Wow.
Another feel good program put on by libtards at the taxpayer’s expense. Please do a follow-up on this with the costs. We all know that “free” and “grant funded” are code words for “bend over.”
Eight years of experience working with the entry program in Greensboro area finding jobs,housing for released offenders pro Ed to be fruitless. The children of those released in the 80’s are in the news for crimes today. Providing jobs resulted the released self termination or fired by the 9th day on the job by 45 percent of the placements. Even work release participants doing a job while in prison had the same results. Learning to deceive successfully by age 5 , broken or one parent homes were common characteristics of criminal behavior. Most that learned to stay out on the streets if they lived that long were 45 yrs of age and burned out. Crime can be reduced with a location solution. Save money with quick and clean prococution, relocate criminals to a safe,secure area, Promote marriage, family life, and responsibility for an individual’s actions. Stop spending money for do Gooder’s Jobs. Programs have face value but don’t work.
And just how much is this crap going to cost?? Meanwhile I’m still waiting on some police presence to slow down the folks who are using city streets like the local drag strip. The city council is full of something and it’s NOT hot air.
*Hint* Offer the City $250 and you can ride to your Probation Officer in an Uber. Unbelievable how this Council spends tax monies so recklessly and with absolutely 0 moral compass.
With a little forward thinking from the liberal dems who cook up this type of dystopian nonsense, they could have had a decent ‘Scared Straight’ program for at risk yutes.