Jennifer Herring launched the Stars and Stripes program for veterans of the armed forces in the Harris County Jail approximately ten years ago.
She introduced the curriculum to the jail in Fort Bend County last year. Its main goal is to assist veterans in getting ready for their release from prison and reintegration into society.
“The goal of the program is to send them home better than they came,” Herring stated. “So that requires a lot on our part.”
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office claims that although the program costs $3,320 a month, or nearly $40,000 annually, no taxpayer funds are used. According to the statement, all of the program’s funding comes from the commissary’s sales, which include food, personal hygiene products, and other goods that inmates buy at the jail or through care packages that their loved ones buy online.
Participants attend classes four days a week and reside in the same unit. Topics including parenthood, drug treatment, and finances are covered in the sessions. About a dozen prisoners typically reside on the unit for an average of six months.
Additionally, the initiative facilitates the offenders’ access to resources like the Veterans Affairs system.
“They’re also getting help from me and my staff that comes in and helps them with connecting to benefits, any healthcare issues, housing issues,” Herring stated.
Since the initiative began last year, over 50 prisoners have participated.
“It’s very structured and it helps the inmates,” Fort Bend County Jail division commander Capt. Tim Chesser said. “That specific housing unit doesn’t have any disciplinary issues. They become used to coexisting.
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