Anderson Herald in Anderson, Indiana

Prison reform program helps convicts reenter society

In Vacaville California the Stress Assessment unit at the California Medical Facility houses violent offenders in a lax corridor system. Led by Bill Heise, the program teaches self expression and responsibility through counseling and work, guiding inmates like Joe Comaposite from restricted cells to supervised outside work, then parole. The approach claims to cut the return-to-prison rate by about two thirds.