Among the more than 460 parolees living in Ingham County is 48-year-old Rita.

Rita, who asked that her last name not be used because she wants to protect her children, relies on her state-funded caseworker as well as a Lansing nonprofit to help with the transition back into society.

In 2002, she was convicted of attempted murder - a crime she says she committed while on medication prescribed to treat her multiple sclerosis combined with prescription sleeping pills and alcohol. She was sentenced to probation, but violated that probation twice and was sent to prison in 2007.

After being paroled in May, she lived in a halfway house, then a motel, but recently with the help of the local nonprofit found her own apartment.

"You're so emotionally fragile, coming out and being blindsided by the world," she said. "For someone like me, who is trying, if it hadn't been for the right people coming together at the right time, I wouldn't be where I'm at."

As the state closes prisons and paroles a record number of prisoners as part of an effort to cut costs and re-shape the system, the ability of people like Rita to successfully build new lives will be crucial.

The Michigan Department of Corrections is on pace to parole nearly 13,000 prisoners by the end of this year - the most ever - said spokesman Russ Marlan. About 254 so far have been paroled to Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties.

"The parole population is the largest it's ever been in the state," Marlan said, adding that no prisoners are being released early. To be eligible for parole, a prisoner typically must serve the minimum sentence imposed by the judge.

The average monthly caseload at Ingham County's parole office is up by 70 cases compared with 2007, according to statistics provided by the MDOC. Clinton County averages about 15 more cases per month, 47 compared with 32 in 2007. Eaton County's caseload is up slightly.

Among those paroled this year in Ingham County were people convicted of crimes that included home invasion, breaking and entering, criminal sexual conduct, assault and drunken driving, records show. At least five people convicted of manslaughter were paroled after serving their minimum sentences, and one person who was convicted of second-degree murder and served more than 13 years.

Statewide, nearly 130 new parole/probation officers have been hired since October 2008, officials said. There are now about 1,400 total.

Re-entry program key

The MDOC says its prisoner re-entry program - which began in 2005 in some parts of the state before being implemented statewide by the end of 2007 - has been key. One of the first pilot sites in 2005 was the region that includes Clinton, Eaton and Ingham counties.

The Michigan Prisoner Re-entry Initiative aims to help parolees transition back into their communities by helping them find jobs, housing as well as substance abuse treatment.

Marlan cited the program as a reason for a drop in parolees returning to prison.

The rate of parolees returning to prison with either new sentences or for technical violations, he said, is now the lowest since they began tracking records: 194 per 1,000.

Another reason for the drop: If a parolee commits a technical violation - for example, drug use - the parolee is not automatically sent back to prison.

Parole violators are more often put on house arrest or they are locked up for short terms in a county jail (up to 45 days) or one of the state's two "residential re-entry centers" (up to 90 days), where they receive intensive treatment.

"Swift and focused punishment," Marlan said, "can be more effective and less costly than pulling someone off the street and sending them back to prison for a year."

The apparent success of the re-entry program has meant a significant increase in funding for it. The state legislature approved more than $56 million for the current fiscal year that began in October.

The program started four years ago with a $2 million grant from a nonprofit in New York, Marlan said.

Parole is a less-expensive option: Housing someone in prison for a year costs about $32,000; a year of parole supervision, about $2,000, according to the state Senate Fiscal Agency.

Lansing officers help

The Lansing Police Department is playing a key role in the program. The department this year assigned two of its new community police officers to monitor parolees in addition to looking over certain neighborhoods. They are funded by federal stimulus money.

The officers, one each on the city's north and south sides, meet with the parolees and get to know them, said Lt. Noel Garcia. It's a proactive approach intended to reduce recidivism.

"It used to be, you give them a few bucks and a bus pass - we don't want that mindset anymore," Garcia said, adding: "We want them to have the opportunity to become valuable members of the community."

The officers now have a list of about 21 parolees to monitor. Those names are selected by the county parole office, Garcia said. Dozens more are on a waiting list.

Marlan said the Lansing Police Department is one of the few in the state that has implemented such a proactive approach.

Lansing also is one of only two departments, he said, that sends officers into prisons to meet with inmates who are awaiting parole and try to develop relationships. The other is the Grand Rapids Police Department.

The message to parolees, Marlan said, "is not only are (the police officers) going to be watching you when you come back home. As citizens, police officers are there to protect you, too. Call if you need assistance."

Not for everyone

Despite the good intentions of the re-entry program, some still feel left out.

Patrick Higgins, who served two separate prison terms for breaking and entering, has been on parole since last year.

The 56-year-old works as a painter and lives at a transitional house in Lansing for recovering addicts. He also regularly attends alcoholics anonymous and narcotics anonymous meetings.

Higgins said the re-entry program did little for him, because he believes it more often helps parolees with mental health issues. Instead, he had to find his own way.

Higgins credited the transitional home, Joe and Shirley's Place, as well as his family and the meetings he attends for keeping him on the right track.

"If I didn't do the work, it wouldn't have worked out (for me)," he said.

Nonprofits, such as Capital Area Michigan Works, are supposed to help fill in the gaps.

Anyone enrolled in the prisoner re-entry program can work with the agency to get help finding a job or the necessary training, said spokeswoman Kate Tykocki. They even can help resolve transportation problems, she said.

Tykocki said the agency has the infrastructure to handle the increase in need.

Job training

More people are coming out of prisons without job skills, said Monica Jahner, an outreach worker for a local nonprofit that helps ex-offenders.

The nonprofit - Advocacy Resources, Re-entry and Outreach - helps all ex-offenders, including parolees, find job training and apply for jobs.

"There are a lot of successful ex-felons out in the community," Jahner said. "It's how you use your resources and how you network out here."