February 2, 2010
Kiwanian of the Day Riley Rhoden introduced Marsha Rhoden as the guest speaker. Marsha, a 31 year veteran of the Florida Department of Corrections talked about a pilot program instituted at Baker County Correctional Institution designed to improve the ability of ex-convicts to move from an institutional setting into a role as a productive member of society.
"These men are already being released to the community, whether you realize it or not. We simply give them the tools they need to help them. This has been shown to reduce recidivism." Baker CCI is currently the only facility in Florida that uses this program, although other institutions may use portions of the program. The program has been in place for just under one year, and while the efforts have not yet been reviewed to determine the effectiveness of the program, the initial data looks promising.
Key areas of the program include literacy, interaction in social settings, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, job skills development and aid in finding acceptible housing. These things have allowed ex-convicts who might otherwise become a repeat offender, to come out of the institution with the ability to get a job, find housing, and interact with others in a productive manner.
