Struggling With State Budget Cuts

November 20, 2008 • By Simon Smith, Contributing Writer
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Gemeinschaft Home still working to stay afloat despite cutback

JMU may lose a valuable resource for its justice studies department.

The Gemeinschaft Home’s state funding was cut as part of a larger budget cut intended to save Virginia taxpayers money. Jennie Amison, execute director of the home for non-violent offenders, disagrees because the home reduces the chance that a offender will go back to jail and helps end the “revolving door cycle” prevalent in the prison system.

Graduates of Gemeinschaft are less likely to be reconvicted following their release.
Amison, speaking with much conviction, said the “Gemeinschaft Home is cost-effective for the tax payer of Virginia and we’re not going anywhere.”

The halfway house also plays a role in the JMU community, particularly for the students and faculty of the justice studies department. Peggy Plass, a professor in the justice studies department, became involved with the home when she researched the effectiveness of the program eight years ago.

Plass found the program not only a success in terms of reducing re-arrest, reconviction, and re-imprisonment; she’s been part of an ongoing relationship between the halfway house and JMU. Gemeinschaft allows students to interview residents at the home, engage residents of the home as guest speakers, participate in reading groups and conduct senior and honor thesis research there.

Plass summarized the importance of the place by saying “the different perspective it brings to students is invaluable.”

Plass is not alone in her support of keeping the home open. Justice studies professors Scott Vollum and Jackie Buffington-Vollum also took time to share their experiences with it.

“Students often find it to be one of the most valuable experiences during their time at JMU,” Vollum said. “The Gemeinschaft Home has been an integral part of students’ education in the justice studies program.

“We believe strongly in direct experience as part of the educational process and Gemeinschaft has allowed us to offer that.”

The difference between the halfway house and other facilities in the area is access. The home is very open in granting access to the home for JMU students and faculty. The home houses only non-violent inmates and has proved to be a safe environment for students to practice their interviewing skills while gaining a different perspective.
With the future of the home in doubt many residents are worried.

Buck Gay, a resident of Gemeinschaft Home whose appointed time continues past its preliminary closing date, seems more worried about the future inmates who might not get the chance to go through the program.

“Gemeinschaft Home is a stepping stone,” Gay said. “A stepping stone from death, a way to get established and get your feet underneath you.”

For J.J. Albrecht the Gemeinschaft Home has been “a blessing.”

According to Albrecht, a resident of the halfway house located on Mt. Clinton Pike “means a brand new life and place, and a giant opportunity to get out of the cycle your in.”

Albrecht, 22, was busy bussing tables at the Harrisonburg Pizza Hut during a fundraiser on Nov. 11, benefiting the embattled business. Albrecht, who volunteered to come bus tables, is certain his time at the home will prepare him to make a fresh start.

Albrecht, other residents and staff, were helping out Pizza Hut’s staff in any way they could in an attempt to assist with the unusually high amount of dinnertime patrons. The steady and bustling flow of customers could be almost entirely attributed to the positive response the home’s fundraiser experienced. Gemeinschaft staff was both pleased and surprised by the number of their supporters who braved the cold weather in an attempt to help the program stay open.

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