Monterey, Santa Cruz counties look to copy
Oakland’s success in prisoner reentry

From the Globe Oakland Desk

Last week, representatives of the sheriff’s departments, community action boards and workforce investment boards of Monterey and Santa Cruz counties traveled to meet with Oakland Department of Human Services staff to learn about Oakland’s successful Measure Yfunded reentry programs in order to replicate them in their home counties.
    Specifically, the emissaries from the two counties came to Oakland to study Project Choice. In existence since 2001, Project Choice is a collaborative partnership of public agencies, service providers and individuals who offer support and accountability to juvenile and young adult prisoners re-entering the Oakland community. It is the only program of its kind in the state.
    The program provides participants with intensive mentoring and case management both during and after incarceration, as well as access to resources and opportunities. Currently, through Measure Y and a matching grant from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), Oakland funds 210 Project Choice participants annually. Participants are primarily 16-30 years old.
    In 2006, a professional evaluator found that Project Choice participants had a recidivism rate 83 percent lower than the overall rate, while adult participants had a recidivism rate 33 percent lower. Project Choice activities are connected with the Mayor’s Reentry Coordinating Council and are led by the Oakland Reentry Advisory Committee, chaired by Councilwoman Nancy Nadel.
    Through CDCR funding, Oakland was able to hire Reentry Services Manager Mick Gardner, who began work last week. Gardner, an international consultant in the field of prisoner reentry, has more than 19 years of experience in the field of prisoner- based services, substance abuse, evaluation, program development and public health. As director of transitional and informational services for Centerforce, a nationally recognized community/institution-based organization, he developed and successfully implemented multimillion- dollar federally funded national projects. He is also one of the founders of No More Tears, an ongoing forum of concerned prisoners and community leaders that addresses the issues of violence and crime in Bay Area communities. Gardner’s career also includes 12 years as an owner/operator of sober living facilities and experience as the clinical director for the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility at Corcoran State Prison.
    Oakland voters passed Measure Yin November 2004, providing over $20 million annually to support violence prevention programs, community policing, increased fire station availability and other public safety activities.