The Director of Starke County Community Corrections for the past nine years is entering retirement after Friday, April 6.
Robert Hinojosa has spent the past 30 years in community corrections with the majority of his experience in Lake County. He says Starke County has grown in the past nine years with communication between departments.
“The criminal justice system is a system and they really have to be able to communicate and talk to one another about the progress of offenders,” explained Hinojosa. “That wasn’t an easy challenge. Starke County has done a great job of collaborating. The sheriff is involved in a lot of the discussions and so is Judge Kim Hall, our probation director, community corrections, parole, and the mental health community. That’s really the only way that you’ll get good results is if those different entities are working together and collaborating.”
He said the State of Indiana looked at Starke County in these collaboration efforts to offer programs to those who are incarcerated to get them on the path to a successful return to society.
“The State of Indiana has recognized Starke County as being an example of where different elements of the criminal justice system are working together to reduce redundancy so that we get better results. That’s what the state wants. They want counties and communities to start working together and collaborating.”
Hinojosa’s replacement has not been secured, but the advisory board is working to gather names of candidates for the job.
