Meet Your Neighbor: Jo Ann Krausman helps guides felons toward a different future

Joe Di Lullo
·2 min read
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"Police Woman" ran on NBC from 1974 to 1978. Convicted felons can thank one of its original viewers for helping them straighten out their lives.

Meet your neighbor, Jo Ann Krausman, reentry coordinator for the Common Pleas Court in Richland County.

“Angie Dickinson ("Police Woman" actress) was a police officer and chased bad guys in high heels and arrested them,” said Krausman.

Krausman found her calling.

“I stuck to it, but I never did run in high heels and chase down bad guys,” she chuckled.

Jo Ann Krausman is the reentry coordinator for Richland County Common Pleas Court.
Jo Ann Krausman is the reentry coordinator for Richland County Common Pleas Court.

She has a warm heart, eager to help others.

“I am with the Probation Department, the Adult Court Services. My position is to assist the offender as they are coming out of prison to help them get set up with housing, clothing, medical — whatever their basic needs are to get back into society,” said Krausman.

Mansfield Engineering Components, located near Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, actively recruits workers — even those with felony records.

“They will hire our people that come straight out of prison, no questions asked,” said Krausman. “They’re big on second chances.”

Our corner of the state has a wide spectrum of felonious offenders to choose new hires. First-degree felonies include homicide cases. A felony-5 is the least serious. A felony-2, for example, might be felonious assault.

“Mostly crimes of violence,” added Krausman.

Working to reduce recidivism

According to Krausman, around 20% of the folks released from lockup in Richland County commit crimes again, a term known as recidivism.

“We don’t want failure,” said Krausman. “We do want success for every person that comes through the system.”

“It’s like you lead the horse to water, but you can't make them drink," she added. "They can fake it til they make it or, they can do what they're supposed to do, per the court, and become the productive citizens that we’re working so hard with them to become.”

Readers can suggest future "Meet Your Neighbor" profiles to Correspondent Joe Di Lullo at muckrack.com/dilulloj or jp.dilullo0926@gmail.com.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Jo Ann Krausman helps former prisoners find a new path