Gainesville — The toughest part of Gov. Nathan Deal’s criminal justice overhaul depends largely on help from faith-based groups, and the governor has begun an unprecedented outreach to religious organizations to fight stubborn recidivism rates.
Deal wants to institutionalize what has been a largely informal effort to rely on volunteers to mentor and counsel released offenders. But building and sustaining a statewide network won’t be easy, and research suggests the work could have mixed results.
Still, Deal is putting his office’s heft behind the effort in hopes it brings lasting changes to recidivism rates that have remained relatively stable despite a long-term increase in corrections spending. It’s a long-term effort for a governor who has spent his political capital in pursuit of a lasting criminal justice overhaul.
“We need you,” Deal said during a Sunday sermon at Gainesville’s First Baptist Church, his house of worship since the 1960s. “We need you to set an example — to welcome, to assist, to provide and to make sure that those who are willing to change the directions of their lives will find a helping hand.”
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