New initiatives aim to stop repeat offenders

MOBILE, Ala. (WALA) - Local and state officials are coming together to tackle a big problem: Repeat offenders. Alabama Representative Jamie Ison has brought the concern to the state level.

Councilmember Gina Gregory organized a group of judges, law enforcement, community members and members of the legislature for a meeting earlier this year to tackle what she calls the real source of crime in Mobile.

Now it's time to implement what was discussed. The key, they say, is communication.

Thursday, there were more than 1,600 inmates in Mobile County Metro Jail, and for many it was not their first visit.

"If we work together to keep those people who need to be in jail in jail, then that takes them off the streets. Then they are not committing crimes over and over again,” said Gregory.

Gregory said the problem is not just in Mobile County, and neither is the solution.

"This is primarily a state issue,” said Gregory.

District Attorney Ashley Rich said the lack of communication between different agencies has fed into the problem.

For example, often offenders in Mobile County have a record in other parts of the state, but there was no way to connect the dots.

"We have a lot of databases out there, but there’s nothing to put it all together and give one complete picture of the defendant," said Rich.

A unified exchange of communications would be a huge help.

“If we could somehow put together a database where the municipal clerk talks to the district courts and the district courts talk to the municipal courts, where we get a better comprehensive picture of what's going on with the defendant ...” said Rich.

Currently, past offenses may go unnoticed when setting bond and even granting parole.

State representative Jamie Ison has been working with Rich, Gregory and others to open the lines of communication.

Ison said working within the current state judicial database, they have set new rules to exchange information.

"I'm sure there will still need to be some fine tuning, but were in the process. Through the effort of Randy Hillman and the state's D.A.’s association, our local support from our D.A. and our sheriff - they are all working together to have seamless information shared for law enforcement purposes,” said Ison.

Rich and Ison said the next step is to get more information about prisoners after their release, including where they live and what they're doing.

Rich has also been attending parole hearings at the Department of Corrections, making sure no one gets out before they are ready.