- May 4, 2024
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Every day, Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre watches prisoners released from jail walking down Justice Lane toward Bunnell. They have $5 in their pockets and often, nowhere to go.
Once, during a strong storm, Manfre gave a former inmate a ride.
The man, who was in his mid- to late-40s, said he’d lost his job. Then, he lost his family. He turned to drugs as a way of supporting himself, and then ended up in jail. He wasn’t sure where he was going next, nor did he know what he would do.
“What’s the success rate of that person? What do we expect of that person?” Manfre said. “We have to be smarter about how we deal with recidivism.”
Expecting people with economic, mental health or addiction issues to re-enter society after a short jail sentence is “foolish,” Manfre said.
Because of that, Manfre hopes to start new programs that focus on community corrections. Flagler County is currently in the process of constructing a new inmate facility and of moving the Sheriff’s Office’s operations center to a bigger location. Once that’s accomplished, the county will have two buildings available for public use. Manfre’s vision is to use one or both of those for such programs.
“We pay almost $100 per day for someone to sit in the jail,” Manfre said. “Isn’t it better to spend that kind of money to keep someone out of jail?”
Manfre’s vision includes four programs. It’s an ambitious plan, but now’s the time to start the conversation, since the new jail is likely two years from completion, Manfre said.
The first program Manfre is suggesting would be based off one in Orange County, in which a faith-based organization gives occupational, drug, domestic violence and other types of therapy to qualified inmates.
Manfre hopes to contract with a similar organization to offer such a service to inmates in Flagler County.
The Flagler County Inmate Facility is a jail, not a prison, so inmates usually serve less than one year. The program would need to be adapted to compensate for that.
Manfre is also suggesting a work-release program for qualified inmates, which is currently unavailable in Flagler. If inmates who don’t pose a large threat to society are able to keep their jobs and return to jail each night, their likelihood of returning to crime after their sentences decreases.
Manfre also hopes to start a residential, transitional program for inmates or former inmates.
“When people are released from jail, a lot of the time they don’t have a house to go back to, job skills or the therapy they need,” Manfre said.
Finally, Manfre hopes to open a shelter for the homeless. There is currently no such facility in Flagler County — the closest to it is the Sheltering Tree, a cold-weather shelter based out of the First United Methodist Church, in Bunnell.
Manfre said the community needs to support its homeless population and provide resources to it. Getting a job is difficult enough, but for those who have nowhere to take a shower, who aren’t well-rested, and who can’t provide an address to prospective employers, it’s nearly impossible.
The programs would save taxpayers money in the long term by keeping the jail population down, Manfre said. Since the buildings he wishes to use have already been constructed, the cost of implementing his programs would be relatively low.
“My vision is crime prevention, not just arresting people for crime,” Manfre said. “We should be spending an equal amount of resources on both of those.”
