Armstrong names commissioner of recovery and reentry, pledges to expand recovery programs and address jail overcrowding
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Summary
Gov. Kelly Armstrong announced the creation of a cabinet-level commissioner of recovery and reentry, appointed Jonathan Holfe to the post, and said the administration will fund programs such as Free Through Recovery and Community Connect as part of a strategy to reduce reliance on jails for behavioral-health needs.
Governor Kelly Armstrong announced the creation of a new cabinet post — commissioner of recovery and reentry — and introduced Jonathan Holfe as his appointee. Armstrong said the role will coordinate across the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCR), county jails, law enforcement, the courts, tribal partners, addiction counselors and recovery providers to expand diversion and reentry services aimed at reducing jail and prison populations.
“He's in long term recovery and most recently served as the director of Recovery Reinvented,” Armstrong said while introducing Holfe. The governor said the administration will fund existing programs — including Free Through Recovery and Community Connect — and pursue “turnkey” solutions to relieve overcrowding while also supporting longer-term diversion and upstream treatment investments.
Armstrong said capital projects already funded by the legislature — a Missouri River Correctional Center, a women's correctional center and a state hospital — will help but that new beds likely would not be available until 2030; he called for more immediate measures to free space for the most serious offenders and to make better use of treatment alternatives.