Mississippi to follow Alabama's lead to stop repeat criminals

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Officials from criminal justice programs and religious and civil liberties organizations are working on a program to create a Reentry Council to help former inmates become productive citizens and to reduce prison recidivism. U.S. District Judge Keith Starrett says in a news release that people who leave prison often have few skills and no resources as well as a felony record. Starrett says the council will work on programs to evaluate prisoners and provide rehabilitation when they enter prisons. It also will identify resources and connect former inmates with those resources that can assist them after they leave prison. Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Oklahoma and Texas are among states with Reentry Councils. The Reentry Council is patterned after a program started by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder in 2011.