Prison Minister Proposes Solution to Gov. Brown for California Prison Problems

English: Governor Jerry Brown at a rally in Sacramento’s Winn Park on Halloween, 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

FRAZIER PARK, Calif., July 15, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ — Prison minister and author Marty Angelo recently sent an open letter to California governor Jerry Brown with a recommendation on how to solve California’s prison problems. View letter here.

Angelo agrees with California state senator Darrell Steinberg remarking in his letter to Brown: “Senator Steinberg is right… solve the recidivism problem and we will solve our prison problems.”

In 1991 Angelo helped develop an in-jail intensive residential drug treatment program for Florida’s Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department called the Sheriff’s Drug Farm. Video link.

The program provided 12 months of intensive accredited residential treatment along with four additional months in a community based halfway house.

An independent government study conducted in 2009 of the Drug Farm program proved that over 68% of its graduates never were rearrested and remained drug free.

After numerous attempts by the Palm Beach County commissioners to cut costs the program went on the economic cropping block in 2010 when the Palm Beach sheriff was forced to reduce his spending budget.

Impact Analysis of the Elimination of the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office Substance Abuse Awareness Program (SAAP). See report here.

“If California truly wants to reduce recidivism in their jails or prisons then this is the program to immediately bring onboard.” Angelo continued. “This program is offers a full fledged therapeutic accredited residential drug treatment program inside a prison housing unit with therapists, counselors, court liaisons and case managers working with inmates who truly want to change their lives and never abuse drugs and return to prison or jail again. It is really money well spent.

“The Drug Farm is not like any of the other drug treatment programs California prison system tried in the past that were failures. (‘California prison drug treatment called waste of money‘ by Jenifer Warren, L.A. Times Staff Writer – February 22, 2007). The Drug Farm’s highly positive statistics back up my claims!”

Marty Angelo has been a prison minister for over 30 years and is the author of two books, “Once Life Matters: A New Beginning” and “Vision of New Jerusalem: Now!”

For more information please see www.martyangelo.com.

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