CHARLOTTE — Mecklenburg County’s Criminal Justice Service program is paying 60 former jail inmates a monthly stipend of $600 for one year, officials announced on Monday.
“We are excited to implement this pilot program and see how the initiative helps those residents,” said Sonya L. Harper, Criminal Justice Services director. “When you work with the reentry population, we know there are barriers to success. These are people looking for a new start, and Mecklenburg County is here to help.”
Kenneth Robinson and his freedom-fighting missionaries have been working with formerly incarcerated people in Mecklenburg County since 2020. He said the program will make strides in helping people get on their feet and hopefully prevent them from returning to jail.
“One of the first things that you need when you exit incarceration is identification. That is not free. Another thing that you need is healthcare. Healthcare is not free,” Robinson explained.
The pilot program will have a control group of 60 formerly incarcerated residents, who will not receive funds but will be tracked through quarterly meetings and check-ins.
The money can be used in five categories:
- Childcare
- Health
- Drug abuse treatment
- Education
- General welfare, including housing and utilities.
The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners set aside $500,000 for the Supplemental Income Pilot Program.
The program began with a directive from the board of commissioners “to address inequity in the community and is the first of three initiatives to roll out from the Mecklenburg County Office of Equity and Inclusion.”
Robinson said he wants to see more initiatives like this in the county he calls home.
“This is a direct impact where you can see it immediately versus the long-term waiting for a financial impact for things like $650 million to upgrade a stadium,” Robinson elaborated.
VIDEO: Federal inmates being moved from Meck jail to private prison in Georgia
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