Washington County prepares to welcome inmates in community rebuilding initiative
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Washington County will soon welcome the first five inmates into its new community rebuilding initiative, a first-of-its-kind program in the Natural State.
The pilot program aims to welcome around 30 low-level incarcerated men into a facility that offers them a chance to become good-standing citizens, instead of spending time sitting in a detention center.
The CRI is a partnership between Washington County and the Springdale reentry program, Returning Home.
'We received a grant of about $455,000 for residential substance abuse treatment from the Department of Finance and Administration for the State of Arkansas,' said Washington County Judge Patrick Deakins.
Deakins said the county's quorum court also approved $575,000 of investment into the initiative. He said the county was very hands-on in multiple departments, like the road department, which created bed frames out of scrap and lean it had available.
Jeffrey Nickerson, CRI director, said he knows the struggles that the inmates face when trying to change their lives.
'I've been where they're at. It's not an easy road going through recovery, and I've done it,' said Nickerson.
He said it is a difficult process to reach those struggling and help them understand their true value.
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'It's hard just to come alongside people and just to help them understand the value of bringing them closer to the Lord and bringing them closer to being just members of society and not just being cast out,' said Nickerson.
As director, Nickerson's job is to help the inmates transition into the environment, working with them and their caseworker to set them up for success.
The facility will house people who committed nonviolent, nonsexual crimes with a bail under $10,000 and provide them with resources to prepare them to reenter society.
'That's criteria that might modify in the future, but that's where we wanted to start out because that encapsulates these individuals that we're seeing that are usually lifestyle crimes, social issues that come returning to our facility multiple times,' said Deakins.
Some of the resources and services provided by the Community Rebuilding Initiative are as follows:
Ongoing case management sessions to empower inmates to understand their legal obligations upon release.
Community-led classes to create engagement and relationship building beyond detention centers.
Emotional and psychological support through Arisa Health.
Trained peer mentors through P.E.A.R.L. to help residents create personalized Community Reintegration Plans.
UAMS Fatherhood Fire class to promote healthier relationships and economic stability.
Computer Lab Access to support educational and career readiness, as well as driver's license test preparation.
Deakins said the work put into this pilot program will not only help the residents but also help the state's plans to address jail overcrowding in the future.
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'If this is successful as we know it will be, we want to show other counties this recipe. We want to go to the state and make partnerships with them. If we can keep these individuals in our community and help them before they reach the point where they need to go to the Department of Corrections and prison, I think we all benefit and we all win,' said Deakins.
The CRI facility, once the Critical Stabilization Unit, aims to make new usage out of a building that once served as a law enforcement behavioral health program.
'We want this facility to feel different. We want them from the moment they've crossed that threshold to know this is a different environment,' said Deakins.
For people like Nickerson who have fought the good fight to get to a better place in their lives, seeing the facility come to life meant a big step for the community.
'Oh, man, God is good. Judge Deakins said it best. I fought this for a long time, but it's been put on my heart, and it's my passion to see this thing go and see this thing grow and save lives,' said Nickerson.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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