Topics Related to Reentry

April is Second Chance Month in North Carolina, a time to focus attention on the challenges facing the more than 20,000 people returning to their communities each year after completing their sentences in prison. 

Did you know that around 25 percent of North Carolinians have a criminal record?  That usually creates consequences that most people are not aware of. People leaving prison are starting over. They frequently need a place to live, a job and support to re-start their lives. In fact, about 95 percent of people in prison will eventually return to their communities.

How many college interns can say their projects can leave a lasting impact on future youth as they re-enter society after spending time in the state juvenile justice system? Hannah Ridgeway and Julia Husk can say a definitive “Yes,” though neither gave that much of a thought during their recent internship with the Community Programs section of the Division of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Second chances are important for both adults and juveniles who have been involved in the criminal justice system.

With new COVID-19 cases on the decline, prisons providing vaccinations to all incarcerated individuals who want the vaccine; and  vaccines now widely available in communities across the state; the N.C.

After making choices in life that led to prison sentences, participants in the Think Smart Program are sharing their stories with youth across North Carolina to convince them to avoid the same mistakes. 

Governor Roy Cooper proclaimed this week as Reentry Week.