NC council seeks to ease inmate transitions from prison to society

Gov. Roy Cooper said he wants to give former inmates the help they need so they can take advantage of their second chances. On Wednesday, his administration launched the State Re-entry Council Collaborative to help make the transition from prison to society smoother.

If inmates don't get help, research shows there's a greater than 50 percent chance they will go back to prison. The assistance needs to be provided as early as possible because many commit new offenses within 90 days of being released if they aren't in a stable situation.

"That's not good for them. That's not good for our communities. That's not good for our economy," Cooper said.

The Re-entry Council is headed by state Secretary of Public Safety Erik Hooks and is made up of representatives of state entities, community programs and nonprofits to help with everything from housing to job training and placement to transportation to mental health and substance abuse services, including Pardoned by Christ founder Mike Shank.

Twenty-five years ago, Shank went to prison for drug trafficking. Now, he helps former inmates through his transitional housing program.

"We want to provide a positive pathway for these guys to reintegrate into the community," he said. "Most of the guys that come into our program just want somebody to believe in them."

Only about 10 percent of those who go through the Pardoned by Christ program re-offend, he said.

"You put guys back into society, they're able to pay taxes, they're able to vote again, they'll buy cars, they'll pay rent, and the economy goes up. So, it's a win-win situation all the way around," former inmate Mark Jones said.

Jones, 56, has been in and out of prison for 30 years, most recently in 2014 for larceny. After his release, Pardoned for Christ gave him a fresh start.

"I leave prison with nothing, and folks opened their doors to me. I had nowhere to go," he said.

Dan Wall, who runs Elite Waste Services in Apex, gave Jones a job, and he's now working towards his commercial driver's license. For the first time in many years, Jones said, he is on the path towards stability and success.

"If I don't go to transition housing, I have to eat, I have to clothe myself, so I go back to stealing. But when I went to the transition house, I didn't have to do that," he said. "If it wasn't for that program, I couldn't be standing here today."

Thirteen North Carolina counties already have re-entry councils working with inmates on the local level, and councils are being planned in seven more counties.