SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) – A first of its kind gathering in Savannah Wednesday.
City leaders and resource organizations talking with people leaving the criminal justice system.
This is the first time the city has hosted a reintegration conference giving those leaving incarceration resources to help get back into society.
Katina Wheeler is one of several speakers helping to welcome home conference participants at the Savannah Civic Center.
She leads the city’s Advocates for Restorative Communities task force better known as ARCS.
“So often we have this stigma that people who have been justice impacted and justice impaired are some aliens or foreigners, when they’re in fact these community members,” Wheeler said.
The group helped put on the event with the goal of bringing resources together to help those who have a criminal past navigate life after lockup.
“At what point do we consider the debt paid? Now we need to reintegrate back into our community successfully.”
Support groups and panel speakers were on hand to help with problems that justice impacted people say they face.
“The typical issues we find are getting identification established, and sometimes, if people have been incarcerated for long periods of time, they’ve lost touch with the computerization of society,” Conference Participant David Baker said.
David Baker says he spent more than two decades behind bars.
He now speaks to people with similar backgrounds helping them overcome those challenges.
“There of those of us who have been through the situations, can identify with the problems, and are willing to step up and help,” Baker said.
First introduced in 2020 Wheeler ARCs has worked with nearly 60 people who have a criminal history.
She points out the conference is a step to a second chance and a productive future outside of jail.
“They have already served their time. They’ve had their touch points with the criminal justice system. Now it’s time for us to restore everyone’s lives,” Wheeler said.
Wheeler hopes that by showing the resources that are available more people will reach out to the task force for help once they leave the criminal justice system.
Copyright 2023 WTOC. All rights reserved.
This post was originally published on this site be sure to check out more of their content.
