Re-entry fair prepares inmates for release

“We know 97 percent of offenders will return to the community,” Mike Johnson, TDOC Director of Re-entry Services, said. “Re-entry is about ensuring the right offender is in the right bed, at the right time, in the right program and that we’re meeting all their needs.”
An initiative launched by the Tennessee Department of Corrections (TDOC) in 2008 continues to expand and improve as TDOC is developing programs to help prepare inmates for release back into society after they have served their time in the prison system. As a result of that initiative, Whiteville Correctional Facility held its first Re-Entry Fair on Thursday, September 9, with 21 vendors taking part in various forms to ensure inmates have the knowledge and resources they need when they are released.
“The emphasis is on preparing inmates for re-entry into society. This provides an opportunity for when they are released, they can successfully reintegrate into society,” Jason Medlin, Managing Director of Facility Operations for CCA, said. “We don’t want to see them come back.”
The fair consisted of vendors providing an array of services from social security, job placement, educational opportunities, veteran services, and counseling services.
“We have many different job skills we offer,” Mike Wilson, TriCor Offender Services Coordinator, said. “We try to have a job interview for them when they get out. We make them take out a savings plan so when they get out, they have money available.”
The inmates attending the re-entry fair are within 90 days of release from the prison.

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