The director of Anderson County’s alternatives to jail program will be the featured speaker during “Lunch with the League” on Tuesday.
The presentation by Mike Baker will focus on alternatives to incarceration and the benefits to those affected, including their families and the community. The program starts at noon in the Social Hall of the Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church.
“Anderson County, like many jurisdictions across the country, is in the process of adding more space to the jail,” Baker said in a press release. “Bricks and mortar additions are expensive, but not nearly as expensive as the ongoing costs associated with confining offenders. Each new bed added to the jail will cost the taxpayer $65 per day for each day it is filled. At the current rate of recidivism, the new beds will be filled and there will be a need to add on to the jail in less than 10 years.”
Baker’s presentation will also include a brief explanation of the current system and what is contributing to jail overcrowding, the press release said.
Baker worked for the Iowa Department of Corrections for 33 years.
“During that time, I worked in halfway houses and work release centers as well as served as a probation and parole officer,” he said. The majority of his time was spent managing a community-based residential corrections facility.
“Lunch with the League” is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, and it open to the public. There is no cost to attend, and reservations are not needed. Box lunches will be available starting at 11:30 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis for $7, or you may bring your own. Coffee and tea are provided.
For more information about League of Women Voters of Oak Ridge, visit the website at lwvoakridge.org.
The Oak Ridge Unitarian Universalist Church is at 1500 Oak Ridge Turnpike.
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