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  • CROP History
  • Directors
  • Mission Statement
  • Rehab and Reentry Policy Reform
  • Related Links
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CROP History

CROP was created through the compassion and concern of its two Founding Directors, Mr. Thomas Mitchell Gray and Mr. Frank Genetti.

Mr. Gray and Mr. Genetti both have sons serving sentences within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).  When visiting their sons, the Directors became aware of the lack of sufficient support programs and equipment that could benefit rehabilitative efforts and that could improve the climate within CDCR facilities.  Rather than simply complain about the conditions, many of which are due to budget constraints, the Directors, through their own efforts, donated tens of thousands of dollars of resources including computers and sports and music equipment to two of CDCR’s northern facilities.

Beyond contributing some material items, the Directors soon realized that much more needed to be done to improve opportunities for rehabilitation and post-release reentry efforts for all California inmates statewide, especially in difficult economic times that have severely impacted CDCR’s budget and its ability to carry out planned improvements.

In 2008, the Directors began conversations with the Warden at CDCR’s California Correctional Center (CCC) in Susanville, California, to discuss the possibility of creating a pilot project that could demonstrate how improvements could be obtained through a public-private partnership.  The Directors also consulted with CDCR’s then Assistant Secretary for Policy, Analysis, and Planning, Michael Carrington, who had written major policy reforms for rehabilitation and reentry and who had served as a member of Governor Schwarzenegger’s Rehabilitation Strike Team.  These conversations led to the development and implementation of CROP’s first pilot project that began at CCC in the fall of 2009.  Following the implementation of the pilot project at CCC, CROP has been working with CDCR officials to discuss the various possibilities for the expansion of its partnership on a statewide basis.

Recognizing that the issues and circumstances affecting California are occurring all across America, CROP has reached out to the public and private sectors to form partnerships throughout the country and to help formulate a national dialogue on improving policies and programs.