Joanne Elgart Jennings:

And one of those reform efforts is here. At the southernmost tip of Louisiana, in Plaquemines Parish, the Department of Corrections is piloting a new re-entry program. The Plaquemines Parish Detention Center is an 800-bed jail, it was built with funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, after Hurricane Katrina destroyed the old lockup. For years, it stood vacant. Now, prisoners who normally would be scattered across dozens of jails in rural stretches of the state are being brought together here. It's closer to the communities in and around New Orleans, where most will eventually be released. On top of the $25-per-day that the Department of Corrections pays the sheriff for each prisoner here, it's providing an additional $1.2 million for rehabilitative programming that includes courses on anger management and substance abuse.