The Pinal County Sheriff’s Office is looking for professional volunteers to provide services to veterans in our HUMV unit.

In November the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office Adult Detention Center launched Housing Unit for Military Veterans or HUMV. Any individual who is booked into our jail will get their veterans status verified through Veterans Affairs. If they are a veteran, they can opt to join our veterans unit. This unit will consist of veterans from different branches of the military. These inmates will have access to mentors, councilors and educational opportunities that will help them once they are released. The mentorship program continues once veterans are released to ensure they get the services they need.

“The idea is to return these inmates back to the best versions of themselves. We want to teach them coping mechanisms and life skills that will give them the foundation they need once they leave our facility,” said Chief Matthew Hedrick, Pinal County Sheriff’s Office.

This program is modeled after the HUMV program created by Middlesex County Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian. The Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office launched its program in January 2016, and it is open to both pretrial and sentenced inmates who have served at home or abroad. The program is situated in a unit reminiscent of a military barracks and features programming specific to the needs of military veterans. The results have been extremely positive, dramatically reducing the recidivism rates of veterans. Since its inception, 165 individuals have gone through the unit. Among the 111 men who spent a minimum of 30 days in HUMV, the reconviction rate is in the single digits.

“Why reinvent the wheel? The program has seen great success in Middlesex County, so I wanted to bring it here. At some point, we will be able to expand the program opportunities to other inmates to help reduce recidivism across the board,” said Sheriff Mark Lamb, Pinal County.

Many of our HUMV inmates have endured experiences that are still negatively affecting them today. These experiences are manifesting themselves as issues such as a lack of healthcare, limited job opportunities, homelessness, emotional disorders and other invisible wounds stemming from military service. The Pinal County Sheriff’s HUMV Program is looking for volunteers to help provide programs, resources and support to those men and women who sacrificed for us.

“We are looking for therapists who specialize in mindfulness, PTSD and/or art therapy, financial advisors, yoga instructors, mentors and program managers that want to help our military veterans,” said Sheriff Lamb. “With your help, we can uplift, inspire, enrich and improve the lives of the military veterans who are in a time of need.”

If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, click on the following link: http://www.pinalcountyaz.gov/Sheriff/AD/Pages/VeteranEvents.aspx