The Department of Public Safety is awarding contracts to four organizations to establish new reentry councils in Wake, Durham, New Hanover and McDowell counties.
The contracts for up to $150,000 each will go to the Family Resource Center – South Atlantic in Wake County, the Criminal Justice Resource Center in Durham County, LINC (Leading Into New Communities) in New Hanover County and Freedom Life Ministries in McDowell County to supplement the implementation of local reentry councils in those areas.
Reentry councils are networks of community-based organizations that cooperate to assist ex-offenders, returning citizens and criminal justice involved individuals with necessary local services like housing, employment, food, clothing, treatment, transportation and mentoring. Their mission is to develop and coordinate resources in their communities for the support of ex-offenders in order to reduce recidivism and victimization.
“North Carolina is better and safer when former offenders can become productive members of society,” Governor Roy Cooper said. “Too often ex-offenders get derailed when they have trouble finding a job or a place to live, and reentry councils can help them stay on the right track.”
“These councils are critical in helping ex-inmates connect the dots after release, getting the services they need to lead successful, crime-free lives and avoid returning to prison,” said W. David Guice, Commissioner of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice. “We are pleased to expand this important work to more areas of our state.”
The contracts are being funded through a $1.75 million federal grant which the Department of Public Safety received in October 2015 from the Bureau of Justice Assistance to enhance transitional services, expand reentry councils and continue reforms begun under the Justice Reinvestment Act in 2011. In addition to providing funding for the local reentry council expansion, the federal grant will be used to increase reentry related programming within the state prison system, to fund step down transitional housing for inmates being released to the local reentry council areas and to assist in appropriately matching programs and services to offender needs.
Five reentry councils began operating in 2013 in these counties: Buncombe, Mecklenburg, Pitt, Hoke/Robeson/Scotland and Nash/Edgecombe/Wilson.
DPS continues its efforts to establish additional reentry councils and will soon begin seeking proposals for reentry council start-ups in other counties.