More stories from the city jail

The first time I met with superintendent Nancy Leazer about the Municipal Correctional Institution, she told me the story of a guy named Donald. When he was booked into MCI in late 2006, she said, he was effectively paralyzed by mental illness. Two years later, he reentered society ready to take a job and rejoin his family. Without the rehabilitative services at MCI, Leazer said, “Donald would not have survived.” His was one of several stories the superintendent has been circulating as evidence that the efforts at MCI do make a difference.