The Residential Reentry Center has reopened to serve federal offenders after suffering severe flood damage after the hurricane. This 30-year-old program, formerly the Comprehensive Sanction Center, remains true to its long-time mission of
rehabilitating offenders and preparing them to successfully reenter
society.
The Center can house 31 federal prisoners, 37 percent fewer than in 2005,
through a contract with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Though
inmates are still serving sentences, the Center acts as a secure
halfway house with an average stay of 60 to 90 days. Only about 10
percent fail to follow the rules and return to prison.
The
Center helps inmates reestablish family relationships, work at jobs in
the community and stay off drugs. Inmates, though carefully monitored,
can leave the Center to work and visit with family. They pay 25
percent of their income for room and board. By complying with the
Center’s stringent regulations, inmates can show that they are ready
to reenter society as productive citizens without re-offending.
This facility--a state-of-the-art
corrections center less than a decade old--was badly flooded even
though it was in a no-flood zone. The Federal Emergency Management
Agency funded 90 percent of the $1.6 million rebuilding costs.