Supervisors hear video and praise for Pinal County reentry program that connects people leaving jail to services

Supervisor Jeff McClure told the board on Jan. 8 about a Pinal County Coalition to End Homelessness reentry roundtable and showed an informational video about the county's reentry work.

McClure said the coalition includes roughly 35 partnering agencies that coordinate with the justice system, jails, the sheriff's office and probation to screen people booked into jail, identify services they will need at release, and begin connections to housing, identification, treatment and transportation prior to release.

Quentin Johnson, introduced in the video as 1 of the program's first participants, told the board: "Thanks to the reentry services, I've been clean for over 9 months from an addiction that was controlling me completely. I had the choice to continue on my path of self destruction or change and rebuild my life. I chose to change." The testimonial was played to illustrate the county's reentry pathway and supports.

McClure said the program aims to address immediate barriers that contribute to recidivism — lack of identification, lack of transportation and lack of housing — and to coordinate pre-release connections with courts, probation, treatment providers and peer support. He and other speakers emphasized that many people released from custody arrive without IDs and therefore cannot access jobs, treatment or benefits without in-person assistance.

The video and discussion also highlighted distribution of hygiene and support bags for clients placed in residential treatment or sober living facilities, and the county's ongoing efforts to avoid duplicating services by improving interagency coordination.

Ending: McClure asked residents and stakeholders to review the coalition's work and highlighted the program as a long-term collaboration among nonprofits, justice partners and county staff.