Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon, Jr. was set to host the grand opening of his new Sheriff’s Transition and Re-entry Team (S.T.A.R.T.) Resource Center on the grounds of the Yaphank Jail when the pandemic hit. Ribbon cutting aside, this didn’t stop the important work at the Resource Center, where county correction officers have been especially busy over the last few months providing donated food and clothing, employment assistance, connections to housing and mental healthcare, pandemic advice, and more to individuals leaving the County Correctional Facility.
The creation of the Resource Center has been a dream of Sheriff Toulon’s since he first took Office. Early in his administration, he ramped up transitional services at the county jail, and created a new position called “correctional counselor” whereby correction officers take on a role like that of a case manager. At the outset of incarceration, inmates meet one-on-one with these correctional counselors to discuss the kinds of rehabilitation services available inside the jail and in the community — and help set them on a path to success. These officers are now working out of the Resource Center and providing guidance to former inmates exiting the Facility, and to anyone that may have been previously incarcerated in Suffolk County.
“This is a very tough time to head home after incarceration, and for many formally incarcerated, they may not even know where to go in the midst of this pandemic,” said Sheriff Toulon. He added, “The S.T.A.R.T. Resource Center couldn’t have come at a better time for the county’s jail population because most other social service programs are closed or not easily accessible.”
Sheriff Toulon is also looking forward to celebrating the Center and its early success when it is safe to host a larger gathering, but in the meantime, he visited on Wednesday to tour the premises and meet with his staff.
