Half-way house supervisor says rules need changing

IOWA CITY (AP) ? A supervisor at an Iowa City half-way house says they must refine their policies following an arrest of a resident for escape.

Sam Black, the residential supervisor at Hope House, says the facility also must work to balance securing residents with helping former inmates re-enter society.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen is reporting that at least five people have escaped or didn?t return from leave since November.

Earlier this week police arrested one resident who escaped in May. Another didn?t return by last Friday and remains at large.

Black says there are those residents who are considered to have escaped if they leave without authorization. Then there are those who are granted leave but don?t return. Combining the two, Black says residents go unaccounted for about eight times a year.