The 19th Circuit Public Defender’s Office established the Re-entry Program in 2003 in collaboration with law enforcement which serves St. Lucie, Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee Counties. The program is designed to assist eligible inmates of the county jails re-integrate back into society by providing them with links to community resources accessing housing, substance abuse counseling, educational/vocational opportunities and other basic needs.
    
The Re-Entry Specialist meets with eligible clients prior to being released from jail and develops an individualized Re-entry to assist the client in areas of need.  Classes are held at least once a week in the jail to provide clients with basic knowledge of subjects pertaining to substance abuse, parenting, education, financial planning and other key life-skills.

St. Lucie County’s Re-entry Program has recently expanded into a modified Therapeutic Community and offers curriculum around the clock to eligible clients with substance abuse issues.  Classes are taught directly in the jail pod itself and are based on a cognitive behavioral approach to addiction and recovery.  It is in this approach that the client will begin to increase their skills at recognizing how their emotional and behavioral reactions have been imprinted from the earliest stages of life.  More importantly, how they have nurtured and programmed these imprints to hold them captive in their addictive and criminal thinking.  The re-entry component is designed to reintegrate the inmate back into the community to be a productive member society and has the addition of peer counselors to assist with this process. 

The development and growth of the Offender Re-Entry program would not be possible without the collaborated efforts between the Public Defender, Law Enforcement, Children’s Services Council, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Department of Children and Families and many other community resource providers.  This program is committed to helping those who want to help themselves.

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Offender Re-Entry Staff

Administration
Kristen Webster, Program Director
Natasha McMullen-Lavigne, Assistant Program Director

St. Lucie County, Fort Pierce
David Gibbs, St. Lucie County, Theraputic Community Coordinator
Lindsay Laws, Re-entry Specialist

Indian River County, Vero Beach
Clete Deller, Re-entry Specialist
Marie Juliano, Re-entry Specialist

Martin County, Stuart
Vacant, Re-entry Specialist / Job Developer

Okeechobee County, Okeechobee
Natasha Mc Mullen- Lavigne, Re-entry Specialist

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Contact Information

Kristen Webster,
Offender Re-Entry Director

Natasha McMullen-Lavigne
Offender Re-Entry
Assistant Director

216 S. Second Street
Fort Pierce, Florida 3950
(772)462-2048