By Whitney Grunder CENTER, TX (KTRE) and Bishop L.J. Guillory, Ombudsman Press News
Prison or Education? That's a choice some first time and repeat offenders will have in three East Texas Counties.
Judges from Nacogdoches, Center, and Henderson, Texas toured the region to promote youth preservation colleges.
It was once a segregated high school. This historic building has since taken on many names. Now it's getting a second chance, just like the offenders it will house.
"We can educate and train our parolees, our first time offenders to do those jobs to save America from paying more taxes on the recidivism rate," said Bishop L.J. Guillory, Ombudsman General to Ombudsman International, Inc. a not for profit United States Government Oversight Agency.
"I see the offenders that come before me that are first time offenders and you know, they make a mistake, but I believe in giving someone a second chance," said Shelby County Judge Rick Campbell.
Offenders can earn an Associate degree, or get their GED. Students can even study a specific trade. After graduating, students will return to court, to have their records erased.
"Our students, 17 through 24. Well you can make a choice, a conscious decision to go to college for two years and get an education, become a productive citizen, rather than a burden on the state or you can go to prison," said CEO, and creator of the school's curriculum, Dr. Merilyn Session.
"Their tuition's, their housing, their food. Everything is going to be paid for by the tax dollars that are already paying for them to be on parole or be in prison," said Guillory.
"They've got the grants to get the school up and running but organizers say this building still needs help."
"We need this place cleaned up. We need it painted. We need the roofs re-done, we need some maintenance work on the building that the grants are not going to cover," said Session.
With the community behind them, organizers believe the colleges will transform lives.
"Just show them we care and that we love them and they can become productive citizens again," said J.P. of Precinct 2 for Nacogdoches County, Dorothy Tigner-Thompson.
It will help those who've done wrong, make right.
Organizers hope the first preservation college can get underway by September.
Again, they do need volunteers to get this building ready.
If you'd like to help, contact Bishop L.J. Guillory at (310) 980-0816
By Erin McKeon, Staff Writer, Nacogdoches Daily Sentinel (TX) and Bishop L. J. Guillory, Ombudsman Press News
What started as a life mission to help rehabilitate and reintegrate first-time criminal offenders into society has taken off and will soon lead to three accredited colleges and dormitories for men, women and juveniles.
The "Youth Preservation Colleges" will be in Nacogdoches, Center and Henderson and could be ready this year for first-time offenders to move into, but won't likely be opened as colleges yet, said Nacogdoches County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Dorothy Tigner-Thompson
The Nacogdoches facility will be for women, the Henderson facility for juveniles and the Center location for men, she said.
Once the residents complete the program or receive their associate's degree, they can go back to the courts and ask for their records to be expunged so they can re-enter society with no setbacks, she said.
"It's for those women who are getting charged with Misdemeanor C and Misdemeanor B (offenses) to try to deter them from going to prison," Tigner-Thompson said. The programs are also for people with addictions and for first-time felony offenders, depending on the nature of the crime, she said.
The county judges in Nacogdoches, Henderson and Center are all supportive of the proposed schools, she said.
"This is a cycle, and when you see 90 percent of those people are revolving, then the only way to break that cycle is for someone to get involved and say, 'No, we're going to help you with housing, and we're going to help you with a job,'" Nacogdoches County Judge Joe English said. "Some of those obstacles they're facing on their own, there are now people that are helping them with it."
The colleges and dormitories
The home, which will house up to 12 women at a time, will be a place where they can learn how to fill out applications, go to job interviews, receive spiritual guidance and counseling and learn other life skills, Tigner-Thompson said.
Once the colleges are instituted, the people at all three locations will be able to receive their high school diplomas or associate's degrees, said Bishop L.J. Guillory, the Ombudsman General to Ombudsman International, Inc., the non-profit organization which is heading the program.
"We decided that what we would do to help curb people from committing future offenses, is that for first-time offenders re-entering the communities, that we would give them an opportunity which many felons are not afforded," Guillory said. "That is No. 1, housing and then education. Many felons are denied federal and state housing, employment and grants for college."
Angelina County's Dr. Merilyn Session is working to get the schools accredited and will be a teacher there once it all comes together, Guillory said.
"We feel with a clean record and a degree in hand, these young people will have a fighting chance to make it," she said in a prepared statement. "Most paramount, we move them from wards of the court to taxpaying, productive citizens."
Each dormitory and college will have strict rules and a daily schedule, Tigner-Thompson said.
"At the time they come out (of jail), we will be there to house, feed and counsel them" at no cost, she said.
In return, each resident must attend scheduled meetings, show improvement and do their fair share of cleaning, cooking and other work, she said.
Funding
The three locations have been supported through various outlets, organization treasurer Anita Farr said.
"The building (in Nacogdoches) was donated by me, the funding we have received thus far has come from the Deep East Texas Council of Governments and local businesses," she said.
In the future, the colleges will be supported through donations, grants and federal Second Chance Act monies, she said.
"In fiscal year 2010, $114 million was appropriated for prisoner re-entry programs in the Department of Justice, including $14 million for re-entry initiatives in the Federal Bureau of Prisons and $100 million for Second Chance Act grant programs," according to the National Re-entry Resource Center, which supports the successful return of prisoners to the community.
Tigner-ThoWhat started as a life mission to help rehabilitate and reintegrate first-time criminal offenders into society has taken off and will soon lead to three accredited colleges and dormitories for men, women and juveniles.
The "Youth Preservation Colleges" will be in Nacogdoches, Center and Henderson and could be ready this year for first-time offenders to move into, but won't likely be opened as colleges yet, said Nacogdoches County Precinct 2 Justice of the Peace Dorothy Tigner-Thompson
The Nacogdoches facility will be for women, the Henderson facility for juveniles and the Center location for men, she said.
Once the residents complete the program or receive their associate's degree, they can go back to the courts and ask for their records to be expunged so they can re-enter society with no setbacks, she said.
"It's for those women who are getting charged with Misdemeanor C and Misdemeanor B (offenses) to try to deter them from going to prison," Tigner-Thompson said. The programs are also for people with addictions and for first-time felony offenders, depending on the nature of the crime, she said.
The county judges in Nacogdoches, Henderson and Center, Texas are all supportive of the proposed schools, she said.
"This is a cycle, and when you see 90 percent of those people are revolving, then the only way to break that cycle is for someone to get involved and say, 'No, we're going to help you with housing, and we're going to help you with a job,'" Nacogdoches County Judge Joe English said. "Some of those obstacles they're facing on their own, there are now people that are helping them with it."
