EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14\/CBS4) \u2014 The County’s “El Paso Promise” program is entering a new phase of expansion, with county officials saying the growing effort is largely supported by private partners and requires limited taxpayer funding.<\/p>\n
The program is moving into Phase Two, expanding services aimed at helping justice-involved individuals avoid returning to the criminal justice system through education and job training.<\/p>\n
The expansion now includes participants over 28 years old.<\/p>\n
El Paso County Criminal Justice Director Catherine Jones said county funding for the program covers only one position. <\/p>\n
RECOMMENDED: El Paso Promise expansion aims to cut repeat offenses by adding services for those over 28<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThe El Paso Promise program is funding only one position,\u201d Jones said. <\/p>\n Jones said the position costs \u201capproximately with salary fringe, around $70 thousand, and that is the entire county’s input into this program.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones said most of the program\u2019s support comes from private partners, including Project Arriba, the Ysleta Community Learning Center and the Center for Employment Training.<\/p>\n Emily Schmalz reports on El Paso Promise program<\/p>\n Jones said the only county budget increase is for the lead program coordinator.<\/p>\n Jones also said it costs 63 cents a day to supervise a participant, compared with the thousands it can cost to keep someone in jail.<\/p>\n El Paso County Commissioner Sergio Coronado, who led the initiative, called the program a model for the state and country and said it saves money by keeping people out of jail and prison.<\/p>\n \u201cIt’s a great investment in terms of the amount of money that we save from keeping individuals from going into jail or going into our prison,\u201d Coronado said. <\/p>\n It’s just a, you know, it’s really a cost-conscious saving for not just the county but our entire community.<\/p>\n RECOMMENDED: Amentum Services named new contractor for Camp East Montana detention center<\/a><\/p>\n Jones said taxpayers \u201care going to feel and have probably already felt a payback that is threefold in cost savings of incarceration, in arrests and ultimately what we’re doing is we are producing tax pay residents for this county.\u201d<\/p>\n Jones said the program\u2019s success rates are nearly 100 percent. <\/p>\n Details on how to apply are available at epcounty.com\/promise<\/a>.<\/p>\n