In our Safety Print ID Program, sworn and civilian support staff goes out into the community and provide identification kits with photos and fingerprints to children under age 16 and their parents.
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office is proud to announce that five women inmates completed a new art therapy class at the Norfolk City Jail. Sheriff Joe Baron has set a goal to expand evidence-based programs to help reduce recidivism. Ninety-five percent of people in jail today will eventually return back our community. Our challenge is to ensure they return with skills that make them less likely to commit future crimes.According to a study by the National Endowment for the Arts, art courses in US correctional facilities have brought positive impacts to participants. Inmates reported reduced tension levels, increased self-worth and respect for others, and better discipline. Negative feelings towards staff and community became positive.
The Norfolk Sheriff’s Office art therapy program comes at no cost to taxpayers. Art teacher Christine Rucker volunteered to lead the 3-month course, which met once a week. Rucker has led courses at the Norfolk Jail in the past, but this was her first class of women.
“It’s rewarding because they are acknowledging that they’ve made bad choices, and they are choosing new roads to go down. All of these ladies are picking new, positive paths. They are able to reflect and find themselves through these paintings,” Leslie Garrett, of Norfolk Sheriff’s Office Inmate Programs, said.
Jail programs save tax dollars by keeping people from coming back to jail again. A 2016 RAND study found that inmates who participate in any kind of educational program are 43 percent less likely to reoffend.
