Coalition creates pocket guide

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The Delaware County Sheriff’s Office (DCSO) announced Friday it has put together a pocket guide of resources for recently released inmates from the Delaware County Jail.

The wallet-sized guide contains a list of contact information and addresses for resources related to job training, medical care, mental health services, state issued ID, housing and shelter, transportation, and food and clothing.

Delaware County Sheriff Russell Martin said helping former inmates is a way to reduce their likelihood of reoffending.

“We know from experience that when inmates leave the jail if they don’t have the resources necessary to help them integrate back into the community, they are more inclined to repeat their mistakes and end up back in jail,” Martin said. “This convenient pocket guide, while it doesn’t solve all their problems, gives them an opportunity to reach out for help in a number of areas providing them some hope and help during difficult times.

“The goal is to keep them out of jail and help them be contributors in our community,” he added.

The sheriff’s office said the guide was created by the Delaware County Reentry Coalition, a consortium of “local community agencies and entities whose members focus on coordinating efforts to successfully deliver all the necessary support services for inmates upon leaving jail.”

“The coalition positively impacts the lives of men and women as they depart our jail system to rejoin the community,” explained Delaware County Commissioner Barb Lewis, who is a member of the coalition. “All the available resources they might need are found in a single-folding, wallet-size brochure. It’s a remarkable document that will benefit hundreds of people.”

Delaware County Jail Program Manager Kassie Neff, who is also a member of the Delaware County Reentry Coalition, added, “We wanted to make sure that people returning home from jail or prison had an easy and accessible guide to help them navigate all the resources available. We want to ensure everyone has access to it. It is posted internally at the jail kiosk as well as on the sheriff’s office website.

“Copies are also available in the jail lobby, probation department, and with numerous local community partners who provide frontline services to those in need in the area, and a guide will be mailed directly to those who are returning to Delaware County from prison,” she said.

Visit sheriff.co.delaware.oh.us/inmates/ to view a copy of the pocket resource guide.

The Delaware County Reentry Coalition recently released a pocket guide for former inmates at the Delaware County Jail. The guide is small enough to fit in a wallet and contains contact information for a variety of resources.
https://www.delgazette.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/40/2020/07/web1_guide.jpgThe Delaware County Reentry Coalition recently released a pocket guide for former inmates at the Delaware County Jail. The guide is small enough to fit in a wallet and contains contact information for a variety of resources. Courtesy photo | DCSO

By Glenn Battishill

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Glenn Battishill can be reached at 740-413-0903 or on Twitter @BattishillDG.

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