PLY: Jail chiefs looking for PFS mechanisms to improve prison facilities in Salt Lake while Malaysia is in talks about social investment structures etc.
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Overcrowding At Salt Lake County Jail Means Fewer Bookings Come Summer; Mayor Proposes Solution
Scott McKane – FOX 13
Fewer criminals are being booked into jail, and many of those arrested may spend very little, if any, time there.
That’s the word from the man who runs Utah’s largest county jail. Salt Lake County Sheriff Jim Winder recently sat down with FOX 13 News’ Scott McKane to discuss the issue and potential solutions.
Winder is blunt when it comes to the jail overcrowding problem, saying that by summer, those who have committed certain offenses will not be booked into his jail. He said several factors are contributing to the issue and adds the situation is going to get worse before it gets better.
Winder said: “What I’m saying, and what I’ll continue to say is: ‘We gotta wake up and smell the coffee, we need to do some re-tooling here!’”
It appears as though the mayor is listening and is prepared to address the problem with a plan of his own. Mayor McAdams wants to implement a program called Pay for Success because he believes it will revolutionize how the county deals with certain classes of offenders.
The goal will be to divert those with drug or mental health issues away from jail and into treatment, and the provider won’t be paid until they’ve completed the task.
Malaysia – MaGIC SE In Talks With Agencies, VCs & Corporations For Impact Investments
Liz Lee – Deal Street Asia
In its bid to achieve the targets set out in the Malaysian Social Enterprise Blueprint, the Malaysian Global Innovation & Creativity Centre Social Entrepreneurship unit (MaGIC SE) is engaging other government agencies, local venture capitalists (VCs) and corporations for impact investments.
MaGIC SE executive director Ehon Chan said the team was speaking to a number of parties to work out investments for social enterprises. “We are currently in conversation with various agencies, especially government agencies and venture capital to look into impact investment”.
Chan said MaGIC SE wanted to make sure that it does not become the only place for social entrepreneurs to go to. “We want to become a one-stop shop but not the only source for them.”
As impact investment becomes more than mere buzz word to corporate sector and the investors, MaGIC SE is hoping to encourage more investors, to not only look into high returns but also social returns, on their investments.
“Right now, Malaysia’s impact investment is near zero and we are trying to create (a culture of it). Khazanah Nasional is active in this, having launched their recent social-impact sukuk (reported here),” Chan said, noting that Khazanah Nasional’s MYR1 billion ($282 million) Sukuk Ihsan programme was the first social-impact bond to be rated globally.
Proceeds from the bond programme will go towards educational projects.
On the VCs that MaGIC SEis in talks with, he said: “These are mostly Malaysian VCs but they also have branches overseas. We don’t have the data of how many are Malaysia-based and how many are foreign.”
Chan noted that many corporations are also looking at investing into social enterprises and they have been going to MaGIC for advice. “I can’t name which ones, as it is too early but one of the big credit card companies is among them. These corporations traditionally have a foundation that gives grants for education but they want to ensure that their funds are responsibly used and have a longer return than just one-off impact,” Chan explained.
“The appetite is there but we need to be more prescriptive because for a lot of the corporates and the older generation, this is a new concept,” he added.
United Way Honors Jim Becker Of Richmond Community Foundation For Battling Poverty
Richmond Standard
Jim Becker, the president and CEO of the Richmond Community Foundation (RCF), recently received the United Way of Bay Area’s Believe Award honoring his longtime efforts to battle poverty in Contra Costa County.
Earlier this month, Becker was one of three Bay Area residents to receive this year’s award at a ceremony at the Terra Gallery & Event Venue in San Francisco.
Among his accomplishments, Becker was praised for raising $52 million for five neighborhood redevelopment projects in Richmond that are credited with helping to decrease violent crime by 75 percent. His strategies are being replicated internationally, according to United Way. More recently, Becker’s push with RCF to use social impact bonds to battle blight in the city has gained national recognition. RFC programs providing career-training and financial guidance for struggling residents have also been lauded.