SAN JOSE (KCBS) – Two East Bay officials with a large number of parolees in their respective districts say there must be a better plan for reintegrating ex-cons into the mainstream.

KCBS’ Dave Padilla Reports:

Contra Costa Supervisors Federal Glover and John Gioia have the most parolees in their districts than anyone else on the board of supervisors. Glover is overseeing the “Contra Costa Re-Entry Initiative.”

”The whole idea is not just to say that we want a prison approach to re-entry; what we want to be able to do is have services in place that people are going to need,” said Glover, who adds that those services include substance abuse, health care, housing and social services.

Gioia said that they also want to make it easier for parolees to find employment. One recommendation is to remove the box on job applications that asks for criminal history.

”Clearly there are some jobs where you need to know if someone has a criminal history, and other jobs that may be less relevant,” said Gioia.

Both say the answer to integrating parolees into society is not about building more jail facilities.

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