RICHMOND - Gov. Bob McDonnell announced Tuesday a prisoner re-entry program that he said would lessen the chances of former prisoners going back to prison.
About 29 percent of the state’s prisoners return to correctional institutions in the first three years of their release.
“Everybody deserves a second chance,“ McDonnell told a news conference before signing three bills designed to put the program into effect.
“Effective re-entry policies can improve public safety, reduce victimization, improve outcomes for offenders returning to their communities, and reduce recidivism. We must assist prisoners re-entering the community in their effort to succeed, rather to re-offend,” the governor said in a statement.
Among the provisions, McDonnell established the Virginia Prisoner and Juvenile Offender Re-Entry Council to help create ways to help ensure a better transition to society for ex-prisoners.
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