Ohio Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition
Ex-Offender reentry issues are a topic not just for families of the incarcerated. It is something in which every citizen should take an interest. In 2014 over 21,000 inmates completed their time and were released to Ohio towns and cities. It just makes sense we want this transition back to productive “normal” life as smooth as possible. Ex-offenders that find jobs and reintegrate quickly are less likely to run into problems with the law in the future. Even if one ignores the human fresh start aspect of ex-offender reentry, assisting with inmate reentry just makes good economic sense!
Fortunately there are groups and people interested in helping with ex-offender reentry. The Stark County Reentry Coalition is one such group. They will be having a general meeting on reentry issues that may be of interest to LEAF families and other concerned people. The information below comes directly from an Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections (ODRC) email (with some format edits to better fit this post format). I hope you can make it. The meeting runs from 9 am to 1 pm on July 29th at:
Stark State College
Silk Auditorium (B125)
6200 Frank Ave NW
Canton, Ohio 44720
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Dear Stark County reentry partners –
On July 29, the Stark County Reentry Coalition will welcome the statewide Ohio Ex-Offender Reentry Coalition (OERC) for the quarterly OERC meeting. Elizabeth has been kind enough to secure a wonderful meeting space at the Silk Auditorium at Stark State College to host this meeting. The ODRC Office of Offender Reentry has worked with representatives of the Stark County Coalition to schedule an agenda that features many of the quality reentry programs and services offered in Stark County, in addition to the regular business of the statewide coalition. We will also have table space for additional programs to showcase their organizations.
On behalf of Kathy Telford and I and the event planning committee, I hope you will attend this meeting and bring others who are interested in the reentry activities taking place in our area. The meeting is scheduled from 9 AM to 1 PM, however please arrive before the meeting to visit the tables of the community partners. Also, if you are able to assist before or after the event, please let me know. We will need volunteers to greet the guests, direct them and assist with other logistical tasks. Finally, if you are able to contribute any food or drink refreshments for the meeting, please contact Vicki Knapp-Rumbaugh at Vicki.Knapp-Rumbaugh@odrc.state.oh.us or Rebecca Haymond at rhhaymond@starkcountyohio.gov.
Agencies/Organizations that are signed up for a table:
The ReLaunch Network – Simon Horn
Goodwill Industries – Shannon Smith
Men’s Challenge – Craig Ott
Faith House
Stark County UMADAOP – Ida Ross Freeman
SARTA – Carlynn Scott
LOOP – Linda Davis
The Ridge Project – Debra Martin
ODRC – VIP & HOPE Channel – Alice Barr and Jennifer Boswell
Truly Reaching You – Perry Clark
Turnaround Community Outreach – Margaret Reaves
Stark Social Workers Network
Stark Co DJFS – Stacey Kelly
Right Path for Fathers – Ann Durkin
Stark County Community Action Agency – Tameaka Taylor and Teresa Gary
Stark County Citizen Circle – Brian Johnson
· If your organization is interested in a table but is not listed above, please contact me by Tuesday July 21 at noon. The planning committee will do what we can to accommodate requests within the amount of space we have.
· All tables should be set up at or before 8 AM on July 29. The agenda does not include time during the meeting to visit the tables so those who attend the meeting will only be able to visit the tables before the meeting starts at 9 AM and after it ends at 1PM.
Below is the agenda for the OERC meeting as it exists at this time. It is subject to change prior to July 29.
9:00 AM Welcoming Remarks
Kathy Telford & Jennifer Boswell, Co-Chairs, Stark County Reentry Coalition
Elizabeth Inkinen-Juergenson, Stark State College
Christina Hagan, Representative, Ohio House of Representatives – District 50
Honorable Judge John G. Haas, Stark County ReEntry Court
Opening Remarks
Gary Mohr, Director, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (ODRC) and Chairperson, OERC
Harvey Reed, Director, Ohio Department of Youth Services (ODYS) and Co-Chair, OERC
U. S. Senator Rob Portman – Video “Ex-Offender”
Statutory Members or Designees – Report Out
Ohio Departments of Aging, Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services, Commerce, Development, Education, Health, Job and Family Services, Mental Health, Developmental Disabilities, Public Safety, Veterans Services; Ohio Board of Regents; Governor’s Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives; Ohio Rehabilitation Services Commission; Ohio Health Care Regulatory Boards
Ex-Offender Representative – Rayshawn Wilson
*** Juvenile Branch breaks away (returns at 11:45 AM)
9:40AM Community Outreach Initiatives
Stark County Veterans/Honor Court – Judge Taryn L. Heath
Turnaround Community Outreach – Margaret Reaves, Faith Family Church, Canton
Men’s Challenge Program – Craig Ott, Site Manager, Canton Office
10:25AM Community Initiatives
POP Program – Canton Police, Stark County Intensive Supervision Probation (ISP), Canton Municipal Probation, Stark County Juvenile Court – Lt. John Gabbard, Canton Police Department
Community Initiative to Reduce Violence (CIRV) Program – Rev. Walter S. Moss
10:45AM Adult Parole Authority Initiatives/Prison Initiatives
Video In-Reach Program (VIP) – Alice Barr, Akron APA, Supervisor/VIP Coordinator
HOPE Channel – Jennifer Boswell, Akron Adult Parole Authority (APA), Reentry Coordinator
Grafton Reintegration Center Reentry Resource Center – Jerry Spatny, Deputy Warden, Grafton Correctional Institution (GCI) and Michelle Osborn, Inside Outside Ministry, Lorain County
Reception Reform – Kimberly Clipper, Warden, Lorain Correctional Institution (LorCI)
11:45AM Juvenile Branch Report Out
12:15 PM
Panel Presentation: Facilitated by Rebecca Haymond, Reentry Court Coordinator, Stark County Court of Common Pleas
Faith House – Pastor Douglas Ramsey
Phoenix House Program – Larry Parsons
12:45PM Closing
1:00 PM
Certificate of Qualification for Employment information session: Presented by Joann Sahl, University of Akron
We hope to see you on the 29th!
Jennifer Boswell
Reentry Coordinator
Akron Region, Adult Parole Authority
330-623-5020