NEW BEGINNINGS
Vol. 5, No. 7. November, 2023

A Newsletter of Reentry House Plus, Inc.

PO BOX 361, Hillsborough, NC 27278

www.reentryhouseplus.wildapricot.org  

Email: reentryhouseplus@yahoo.com

JAILS VERSUS PRISONS - A SUMMARY

In this issue of "New Beginnings", we are starting with an article by David Bland, a member of the Episcopal Diocese of NC Prison Ministry and a passionate advocate for the abolition of the Bail Bond system which creates long pre-trial prison time in local jails for offenders awaiting trail, and before they are adjudicated to the State Prison system, where Reentry House Plus works most regularly.  He writes:

“The Distinction Between Jails and Prisons”

Because most of us never have the “pleasure” of darkening the doors of a jail or prison, it is not unusual to assume there are many commonalities. While there are commonalities in the experiences of jail detainees or prison inmates, there are also important differences in who ends up stuck in either and how each is supposed to function.

JAILS: When a person is charged with a criminal violation, depending on the type of violation, they may receive a citation to appear in court on a particular day or they are arrested and taken to the local jail. Once booked they are eligible to be released from jail on bail so are sent to a Magistrate for their bail to be set. If they cannot pay it, they are given the option to call a for-profit bail agent who will bail them out pending their court date for a nonrefundable 10% of the bail amount. Those who cannot afford bail are detained in jail until their court date. Between 70 and 80% of the individuals detained in county jails are classified as “minimum-security, nonviolent” and are there because they cannot afford the 10% bail. In addition to the economic, racial and social disparities of the system, counties are spending on average $100 a day per individual which could be far better used for the educational needs of our young people. In addition to reforming and eliminating the egregious for-profit cash bail system, the greatest need for arrestees is post release services such as counseling, alcohol and drug treatment, housing and court reminder systems.

PRISONS: North Carolina’s 56 state and 6 federal prisons house inmates convicted of misdemeanor or felony crimes. Generally prisons are classified as minimum, medium, close custody or maximum security, depending on the type of crime, length of sentence, violence tendencies and the presence of other criminal associates. Because of the general stability of a prison population, the facility has the ability to offer various educational/vocational programs, religious services, recreational facilities and healthcare services as required. Prisons pose their own set of challenges for inmate support and rehabilitation. Contraband, especially drugs, is one of the most challenging aspects of managing the prison population, as is grossly inadequate staffing because of poor salaries and institutional security concerns. From a spiritual ministry perspective, the North Carolina Department of Corrections Chief of Chaplaincy services has developed an extensive training program and procedure manual for individuals wishing to provide some type of faith-based programming. Difficulties abound when groups attempt to abridge these procedures which can lead to competing messaging for the inmate population not to mention the draining of already overextended on site chaplains. The greatest challenges facing any former jail detainee or prison inmate are: Interim housing, lack of marketable skills, clothing, financial resources, counseling and basic reentry support."

For more information on these issues and to get involved with much needed bail/bond reform, please contact David Bland, email: dhbland9@gmail.com

Reentry House Plus wishes you a Blessed Thanksgiving and Advent Season

The Changed Singers provided a wonderful musical addition to the Reentry House Plus presentation at Carol Woods Retirement Community in Chapel Hill on Sunday, Nov. 19,2023.  All who attended were impressed and moved by the music and the remarks of Will Elmore and Tommy Green, our SWIT (Success while in Transition) colleagues, who manage the house and provide peer counseling and support to our residents. Their stories were powerful in highlighting the challenges of reentry. Thank you to all involved!

And a word of welcome to all 50 who signed up to be added to our newsletter.

          We Couldn't Do this Without You!

 Become a Sustaining Donor:

We are seeking a goal of 150 donors who would be willing to donate  $5, $10, $25 or whatever, per month to sustain this important ministry.  (We currently have five "Gold Circle" contributors making monthly donations of $100 or more).

You can do this easily three different ways:

1. Go to: http://reentryhouseplus.wildapricot.org , and hit the “donate” button and follow the directions to set up a monthly donation.

2. With your bank’s “bill pay” function, put in the amount, frequency, etc. and have the bank drafted checks made out to "Reentry House Plus, Inc" sent to :
PO Box 361, Hillsborough, NC 27278.

3. Or, send your monthly checks made out to Reentry House Plus, Inc. to the address above.

We thank you for your support!

We welcome all our new subscribers who have just started with the newsletter.

Contacts:
We would welcome more of your friends and colleagues to get the news of recovery and hope through our newsletter, "New Beginnings".
Contacts are added by sending the name and email address of those who would like to be included to: reentryhouseplus@yahoo.com.

Board Officers: (As of November, 2023)

Doug Peterson, President
Ran Hamner, Vice President
Chris Ringwalt, Secretary
Paul Triulzi, Treasurer
Other Members:  
                       Jarrett Barnhill, MD (ret)         Edward (Scottso) Scott                          Gates Vrooman                Cynthia Wheaton
Elizabeth Urena Butler           David Stanford
                 Pastor Dewey Williams          Pastor Tremaine Royster
Dr. Gabriel Kyerematen, MD       Brad Allen 

Consultants to the Board:  Tommy Green and Will Elmore (SWIT)         and Chaplain Joshua Leroy, Orange Correctional Center       

Monthly Board Meets Thursday:  Dec.28, 4-5:30 pm, By Zoom 
Email us if you would like to come (we will you send a link):  reentryhouseplus@yahoo.com

Co-Editors:  David Stanford and Althea Alton

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