WEBER COUNTY, Utah — A program in Weber County is trying to help give people a second chance — and the ones behind it say it is working.
Daniel Lancaster and Laura Andelin spearheaded the two-year pilot program that the legislature funded in 2024. Weber County Sheriff's Office's program would help reduce recidivism rates by combining forensic social work and re-entry services to help someone get the tools they need to rebuild their life after jail.
"Specialists provide support throughout their incarceration as they go through the different stages of the court process, really individualize the reentry plan based on those individual human circumstances and needs, and then, can actually follow up and continue to provide support post-release,” said Andelin.
Daniel Lancaster was the director of forensic social work at the public defender’s office when the program launched. Since he and Andelin were looking to reduce recidivism in their respective departments, they decided to join forces and develop a comprehensive re-entry program to help people going through the criminal justice system.
First, a social worker from the public defender's office works with the person and investigates their background. They give that information to the defense attorney and the court, which could be a factor in the sentence.
"They have an informed picture of the defendant and what it is that was driving the crime,” said Lancaster. "We have lined up the treatment that the client needed, and they are sentenced to a period of time in jail with perhaps early release directly to a treatment partner. So, there is no chance for a client to walk out the door and think, you know what, I’ll go to treatment tomorrow, and the next thing you know, nothing is followed through on.”
"The data that has been collected indicates a pretty significant reduction in rebookings after one year of about 45 percent, crazy, crazy effective number,” he explained.
He also said they saw a 59% reduction in bookings in one year, with double the people in long-term housing placements and a drastic reduction in those returning to homelessness.
"The client can go be proactive, pro-social, and the community benefits from that — having a job, paying taxes, raising your kids,” explained Lancaster.
This year, they got funding for another year, hoping to take this model statewide.
"People are complicated,” said Andelin. “Every human being has their own story and their own things that contribute to who they are and what they do and how they live their life. And our job is not to help people, as weird as that might sound, it's to enable and empower them to help themselves."
