PHILLY.COM: …”I can’t figure out stuff behind my desk,” [Corrections Department director John] Wetzel said, piloting his black Dodge Charger down Harrisburg streets on a rainy morning, en route to surprise visits at four facilities. “I go out looking for bad news. I want to understand what’s not working so we can restructure the system.”
Earlier this year, Wetzel thrust his agency into the national spotlight, and it was an unflattering light. He commissioned a study that found two-thirds of inmates were rearrested or sent back to prison after release. The study identified poorly performing halfway houses as one of the factors. Wetzel said halfway houses needed to do more to help offenders find work – such as by allowing limited Internet access – and to develop “home plans” that designate a suitable place to live so inmates can be released more quickly.
He said geography played a part. “They could be from Philadelphia, getting out of a prison in north-central Pennsylvania, and go to a Pittsburgh halfway house,” he said. “We are setting up [halfway house] vendors for failure. It’s really just a cheaper prison bed. We need to set up true community centers.”… (more)
