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As U.S. Sen. Benjamin L. Cardin prepares to lead a subcommittee hearing on reducing inmate recidivism, he toured the Montgomery County Pre-Release Center in Rockville on Monday on a fact-finding visit.

"Ninety-five percent of the people who are in our prisons are going to come back out. And most of them are going to go back in [to jail]," said Cardin (D) of Pikesville. "So, the recidivism problem is one that is just a huge waste of resources for this country and [is] not helping people and making us more safe."

Cardin's tour included a look at the center's dormitory-style rooms, classrooms and a career center that gives offenders access to computers and telephones for finding jobs.

He also held a discussion with county corrections officials and staff of the pre-release center and had a closed-door meeting with offenders.

The center houses 162 offenders and serves 19 more who are in home confinement. It serves both those who are within a year of release from the county's jail and prisoners from the state and federal correctional systems who are within six months of release and will be returning to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.

The center offers GED classes and referrals to the county's Department of Health and Human Services for connections to substance abuse education and treatment programs.

Offenders work with staff to develop individualized re-entry plans for work, housing, medical care and substance abuse treatment when needed.

Some 85 percent to 90 percent of offenders leave the center with jobs, said Stefan LoBuglio, chief of the county's Pre-release and Re-entry Services, who will testify Thursday in Washington at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee's subcommittee on crime.

LoBuglio said he will testify about the need for pre-release centers throughout the state and about their mutual benefits for offenders and communities.

"Re-entry makes sense," he said. "It enhances public safety. It enhances community well-being. It's not just a matter of dollars, it's a matter of leadership, and it's a matter of collaboration more than anything else."

Cardin called Montgomery County's program "truly unique."

"I wish we had more of these programs around Maryland and around the country," he said. "The difficulty is locating a community-based facility where people live. Because that is where they need to get the job opportunities, etc."

The proof that Montgomery County's investment in a pre-release program is wise lies in the county's recidivism rates, which are lower than those of other Maryland counties, Cardin said.

"I think the proof here is that you have people who have committed crimes that are now contributing to society, that have good jobs, they're helping their families, and they're keeping this county safer," he said.