RENO PROPOSES SPECIAL COURTS FOR RELEASED PRISONERS

WASHINGTON - U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno proposed
Thursday that special courts be set up to supervise a prisoner's
return to the community, an effort aimed at preventing repeat crimes
by the 500,000 inmates who get out of state prisons each year.

Reno said at her weekly Justice Department news briefing that local
officials would be asked to submit their ideas in creating ``reentry
courts,'' and they would see if the idea helps keep high-risk
offenders from committing new crimes.

``Too often, offenders leave prison and return to the community
without supervision, without jobs, without housing. They quickly fall
back into their old patterns of drug usage, gang activities and other
crimes,'' she said.

``Our goal is to minimize public safety risks that occur when
offenders come back to the community ill-prepared to cope,'' Reno said.

Under the proposal, judges would approve a plan for re-integrating the
offender into the community. The court would monitor and enforce the
plan, similar to what is currently done under the parole system.

The reentry courts would be modeled after the special drug courts
which Reno has advocated. Unlike traditional courts, many of which
have been overwhelmed by a huge caseload, the new courts would have a
limited caseload and sufficient resources, she said.

Justice Department officials said they are sending out invitations to
state and local officials to tape part in the program, and their
proposals must be submitted by December

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