Employees working in numerous PHMC programs volunteered with the Fugitive Safe Surrender (FSS) program held in Philadelphia this past September. The FSS program, which is managed by the U.S. Marshals Service, encourages persons wanted for a non-violent felony or misdemeanor to surrender to the law in a designated faith-based or neutral setting. “Philadelphia is the largest city in which FSS has been implemented and the eleventh city so far,” says Yvette Rouse, who coordinated volunteer services for FSS and serves as clinical director for PHMC’s Forensic Services component.

Rouse directed 150 volunteers, about 30 from PHMC, from September 17 to 20 as they helped fugitives surrender at Philadelphia’s True Gospel Tabernacle Church in South Philadelphia. The church’s pastor, Reverend Doctor Earnest McNear, brought the FSS program to Philadelphia after reading about it on the Internet.

Volunteers provided information, childcare and support to fugitives as they entered the church. “There was just an outpouring of humanity from the people coming from PHMC,” says Greg Thompson, project manager for FSS and the program manager for True Gospel Tabernacle’s Kingdom Care Re-Entry Network, which helps ex-inmates transition back to their communities. “Wherever there was a need, PHMC employees filled it,” says Thompson. “It just made the day smoother and less worrisome.”

An extraordinary number of people turned themselves in—1,249 to be exact. “It was overwhelming,” says Thompson. “We had no idea what to expect.” Many of the offenders who surrendered through the program received favorable consideration for taking personal responsibility for their legal matters and many charges were dropped or scaled down.

In most cases, participants were able to see a judge and have their cases adjudicated on-site. In addition to PHMC, key participants in FSS included the First Judicial District of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office, the Defender Association of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department, the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office, Philadelphia Police Department, and several local social service organizations.

Thanks to PHMC, legal help was not the only thing offered at the church. “PHMC provided social workers and nurses who volunteered on a daily basis to interact with those who were turning themselves in,” says Deborah McMillan, assistant vice president of PHMC’s Specialized Health Services. Along with her staff, McMillan provided information on housing, employment and other services to fugitives.

McMillan felt the program was successful. “One man drove four hours from Virginia to clear charges from 1996,” she recalls. “It was just a monkey on his back. The relief he felt afterward was just amazing. All of our staff felt they were better off from participating in this.”