Posted: Sep 05, 2012 7:20 AM Updated: Sep 05, 2012 10:37 AM
Story by Jose Martinez, Reporter - email
BRAWLEY
- A halfway house for federal prison inmates will soon be open in
Brawley, but not everyone in the city is thrilled about the idea.
When construction started in June, it had been nearly three years since the plan to build the Residential Re-entry Center was introduced.
The project was under scrutiny and controversy when city officials questioned the safety of the community.
"The City Council has reviewed this item in some detail", says Brawley City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore. "Due to provisions within our zoning ordinance… this use, the halfway house, is permitted by our zoning ordinance so the means for objecting to the type of use are really not there in our codes".
Working Alternatives Incorporated, the company that will run the center, assured the city and county that all safety measures were taken into consideration.
Project Manager, Richard Moore, says that it will be healthier for the inmates to go through the center than for them to be released straight into the community.
"Well, it gives them an opportunity to come out to find jobs and be able to be with their families", he says. "to turn their lives around".
According to the company, all safeguards will be in place in case something was to happen with the inmates.
The center will house between 10 and two dozen inmates at one point. And while the process sounds smooth, with the unemployment situation in Imperial Valley, the inmates might find themselves in the same situation as local residents.
"We're introducing a population of residents that may not only present more challenges themselves to the community in terms of the services and support we can offer", says Moore. "Also, they may have real challenges themselves in securing real employment opportunities in a place where folks who don't have criminal records struggle to find good jobs".
On another positive note, the Residential Re-entry Center will provide Brawley and the Imperial Valley with up to 30 jobs, as it will be a 24-hour monitored center.
If construction goes as planned, the center will open its doors in October.
When construction started in June, it had been nearly three years since the plan to build the Residential Re-entry Center was introduced.
The project was under scrutiny and controversy when city officials questioned the safety of the community.
"The City Council has reviewed this item in some detail", says Brawley City Manager Rosanna Bayon Moore. "Due to provisions within our zoning ordinance… this use, the halfway house, is permitted by our zoning ordinance so the means for objecting to the type of use are really not there in our codes".
Working Alternatives Incorporated, the company that will run the center, assured the city and county that all safety measures were taken into consideration.
Project Manager, Richard Moore, says that it will be healthier for the inmates to go through the center than for them to be released straight into the community.
"Well, it gives them an opportunity to come out to find jobs and be able to be with their families", he says. "to turn their lives around".
According to the company, all safeguards will be in place in case something was to happen with the inmates.
The center will house between 10 and two dozen inmates at one point. And while the process sounds smooth, with the unemployment situation in Imperial Valley, the inmates might find themselves in the same situation as local residents.
"We're introducing a population of residents that may not only present more challenges themselves to the community in terms of the services and support we can offer", says Moore. "Also, they may have real challenges themselves in securing real employment opportunities in a place where folks who don't have criminal records struggle to find good jobs".
On another positive note, the Residential Re-entry Center will provide Brawley and the Imperial Valley with up to 30 jobs, as it will be a 24-hour monitored center.
If construction goes as planned, the center will open its doors in October.
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