Erie County Reentry Services

Raised concerns about a lack of competitive bidding, closed meetings, and misrepresented financials during the reentry program transfer.

Spoke about the essential nature of reentry services and criticized the lack of public awareness and community engagement in the decision.

Suggested holding public town halls to discuss the reentry program decision and address community tension.

Praised the impact of the reentry team and advocated for a reentry task force involving community experts.

Read a letter from a former ECRSSA staffer defending the program leadership and urging transparency.

Expressed disappointment with moving the reentry vote quickly and noted conflicts of interest in placing reentry under probation.

Requested town hall meetings for clarification on the reentry transition and commented on political committee representation.

Highlighted the proven track record of ECRSSA in reducing recidivism and supporting families.

Supported ECRSSA and stated that transparency must begin inside council chambers.

Spoke from an employer's perspective praising the successful job placement work done by ECRSSA.

Asked council to rescind their decision on ECRSSA based on his extensive experience in federal reentry programs.

Spoke in strong support of ECRSSA, criticized council for lack of transparency and dialogue, and urged them to rescind their vote.

Former senior case manager for ECRSSA spoke about the negative impact of the program's closure on returning citizens.

Argued that the council devalued marginalized lives by rushing the reentry program transition without proper research or input.

Criticized the closure and restructuring of ECRSSA, citing its high success rate and low recidivism compared to county probation.

Urged council to reconsider the hasty vote moving ECRSSA under probation, noting its proven independent success.

Stressed the importance of meeting decorum, transparency, and safe environments for public engagement.

Explained the sequential intercept model, warning that placing voluntary reentry under parole turns support into compliance.

Expressed concern over ECRSSA's absorption into parole, potential HIPAA violations, and loss of lived-experience staff.

Warned that housing reentry under probation increases recidivism by conflating support services with law enforcement.

Shared his personal background as a former life-sentence inmate and senior case manager at ECRSSA, urging council to respect human dignity.