At the direction of the U.S. Attorney General in early 2013, the Justice Department launched a comprehensive review of the criminal justice system in order to identify reforms that would ensure federal laws are enforced more fairly and - in an era of reduced budgets - more efficiently. Five goals were identified as a part of this review:
- To ensure finite resources are devoted to the most important law enforcement priorities;
- To promote fairer enforcement of the laws and alleviate disparate impacts of the criminal justice system;
- To ensure just punishments for low-level, nonviolent offenders;
- To bolster prevention and reentry efforts to deter crime and reduce recidivism; and,
- To strengthen protections for vulnerable populations.
The Justice Department refers to this initiative as “Smart on Crime.” The U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee partnered with the chief of the U.S. Probation Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, Tony Anderson, and his staff to implement the program locally. The local program focuses on ways to make the district safer by providing federal ex-offenders with the resources necessary to successfully re-enter the community and reduce recidivism.
On Monday, the local Smart on Crime Initiative started with a Community Resource Expo in Chattanooga. Mr. Anderson kicked off the inaugural event by addressing the ex-offenders during the expo.
The expo included a partnership with or featured community service providers who include Behind the Bars, BlueCross BlueShield, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, Bureau of Prisons Half-Way House, Chattanooga Community Kitchen, Chattanooga State Community College, Christian Women’s Job Corp, Father to the Fatherless, Johnson Mental Health, Marion County, Tennessee Jail Chaplain, Mt. Canaan Baptist Church, Northside Neighborhood House, Olivet Church, Salvation Army, Stephens Table, Tennessee Career Center, Tennessee Department of Human Services, Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development Career Center, and the United Way 2-11.
Officials said, "Through this network of federal law enforcement officials and community service providers, the Smart on Crime Initiative is working to make this community safer through being both smart and tough on crime."
TechTown, a technology and entrepreneurial learning center, provided space for the event and Southern Star, a Chattanooga-based restaurant, donated full-catering services for the event. Similar events are scheduled for Knoxville and Johnson City this week.