September 2007 in the News
Women's rehab facility prepares 'clients' for reintegration in society; 09/23/2007
KILLEEN DAILY HERALD: Walk into Halbert Substance Abuse Felony Punishment Facility at the right time, and you might hear chanting. Two groups of women stand in a common area at Halbert and face each other. The shouts begin. "I know I can!" "I know I can!" "Be what I wanna be!" "Be what I wanna be!" At Halbert, which houses about 600 female offenders, rehabilitative group meetings start with "motivating" each day. To inmates – they're called "clients" at Halbert – that means going through self-invented routines, chanting and clapping. "Sister, can't you see?" they shout, clapping and stomping, "I've got recovery."
Prison program puts faces on criminals, victims; 09/16/2007
SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS: The men file into the meeting room clutching thick white binders, all of them dressed in identical beige khaki scrubs. If it weren't for the heavy locked door just outside, they could be mistaken for a group of doctors here to discuss the newest medical regimen. But the agenda is far more serious than that. The goal of the night is nothing less than redemption. They're taking part in a program called Bridges to Life, a prison ministry that seeks to heal victims and reform criminals by bringing them together to tell their stories and listen to one another.
Working to slow prison's revolving door; 09/13/2007
FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM:Eric Palmros has been in and out of prison for many of the past 25 years. He is now out on parole after serving a sentence for DWI. He says he's clean, and he runs his own business. But staying out of trouble isn't easy for repeat offenders. When a person gets done serving time, it's easy to go back to old friends and old habits, Palmros said. As of July, 6,584 people were on parole in Tarrant County. In 2006, 660 parolees in the county returned to prison. "Naturally I started hanging around with the wrong people, doing the same things," said Palmros, 43.
Texas inmate wins appeal of case against Guard; 09/12/2007
AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN: When a Texas prison guard shocked him with a cattle prod and threatened him with a knife, Dale Payne vowed to pursue justice — not just for himself, but for all black men imprisoned at the Estelle Unit in Huntsville. He was tired of what he said were repeated taunts, weekly abuse and beatings from white guards. Dale Payne served as his own attorney. "I was tired of the racism," he said. "It went on for months and months." Now, five years later, the 50-year-old Dallas man — paroled six months ago after serving 16 years for robbing an auto parts store — has won a victory of sorts.
Service providers advocate "housing first" in Texas; 09/06/2007
KERA: More than 400 social service providers meeting this week in Dallas say it costs taxpayers more to leave people homeless on the streets than to provide them the housing and the assistance they need to get back on their feet. KERA's Catherine Cuellar says that's why advocacy groups across Texas are working on plans to put the "Housing First" philosophy into practice. Housing first is a concept that calls for putting a roof over a transient person's head while offering the supportive services needed to become productive members of society.
Denton County, Texas to Implement and Fund Hythiam’s First County Level PROMETA® Treatment Program for Substance Dependence Among Probationees; 09/05/2007
ROTH 2007 NEW YORK CONFERENCE: Hythiam, Inc. (NASDAQ:HYTM) today announced that Denton County Community Supervision and Corrections Department (CSDS) has approved the implementation and funding of the PROMETA® Treatment Program for substance dependent criminal offenders under supervision. Located in Texas, Denton County has a population of approximately 600,000 individuals and includes portions of the rapidly growing Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Denton County’s implementation follows a previously announced state legislative allocation of $2 million for Texas PROMETA®-based treatment programs within Texas.