A six-month effort to create a plan to help people leaving prison is nearing completion.

On Thursday, the Carbon County commissioners took the formal step to acknowledge receipt of the county's re-entry strategic plan from the planning coalition.Carbon received $10,000 from the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency last year to hire a consultant to assist county agencies in the creation of the plan.Sheriff Tony Harvilla said the plan will be sent to PCCD for approval per the grant agreement.Commissioners' Chairman Wayne Nothstein said the re-entry strategy plan covers a number of issues that Carbon hopes to address to help cut down on the number of repeat offenders going through the system.A re-entry plan aims to provide services to people leaving prison to help them successfully re-acclimate to society through support networks, including housing, employment and counseling if needed.Nothstein said that this is a fluid plan and will be adjusted as needed.He said the county now is gathering a comprehensive list of information on inmates coming into the prison and what issues they are dealing with.Roberta Brewster, county court administrator, said this plan is a starting point to help curb the growing trend of crime and repeat offenders."From March 14, 2015, to this year, the aggregate totals are up nearly 46 percent on criminal filings so finding ways to get people back into the community on the re-entry program and keep them from recycling back through the jail will help solve overcrowding and some of the workload that is coming through the system," Brewster said."We should see an improvement, but a lot of parts of the puzzle still need to come together. They need housing. They need education. They need family help. There are a lot of other parts of this puzzle."Nothstein said that the plan will be unveiled during the seventh annual Human Services Priority Brunch on April 15 at Whispering Pines, Penn Forest Township Volunteer Fire Company 1, 1387 Route 903, Jim Thorpe. Doors open at 8:30 a.m. Brunch begins at 9, and the discussion will start at 9:30.Tickets are still available to the brunch, which is sponsored by the Carbon County Interagency and Family Collaborative Board, and is open to agencies wishing to learn more about the county services and resources.To register, make checks payable to Interagency Council of Carbon County and send payment and the names of those attending to Carbon County Interagency and Family Collaborative Board c/o Mindy Graver, Penn State Extension Office, 529 Lentz Trail, Jim Thorpe, PA 18229 or contact Graver at 570-325-2788, ext. 2, or email

mjg26@psu.edu.Carbon County, the Carbon County Justice Advisory Board and various agencies have been working to create this plan since last September.