Nashville sheriff involved in transition study

Associated Press - November 17, 2009 4:45 PM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - The Davidson County sheriff's office is 1 of 4 in the country recently selected for a pilot project about how inmates transition back into the community.

The project is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice's National Institute of Corrections and The Urban Institute Justice Policy Center.

On Tuesday, representatives from NIC and The Urban Institute will begin a 2-year evaluation of how the sheriff's office prepares inmates to be released.

Sheriff Daron Hall said his office has worked closely with the courts on a referral system in order to get candidates for transition.

Local agencies in California, Michigan and Wisconsin were also selected to participate. Agencies in Colorado and Kansas were selected for the pilot program last year.