BARNSTABLE – The Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office has launched Family Outreach, Resource, & Support Services, or FORSS, a program to help families of incarcerated individuals by helping them navigate the incarceration process and connect them with community services.
The program is modeled after the Family Support Services Unit in Middlesex County under Sheriff Peter Koutoujian, which empowers close family and caregivers in their support of incarcerated individuals to better their chances of successfully transitioning back into society. Representatives of Sheriff Donna Buckley’s office say that far too often, families lack guidance in the incarceration system and are left to fend for themselves.
Services include the provision of liaisons to guide and inform families on matters of bail, sentencing, visits, and more, as well as community-based services supporting the families themselves.
“Our mission is to lower recidivism, provide a continuum of care, and support individuals when they return to society,” said Sheriff Buckley. “We know families can be our most important allies in re-entry. Helping our caregivers is a force multiplier.”
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