March 1-3: Tenn. Govt. and Community Leaders Work to Keep Inmates Safely Out of Prison

Tenn. Out4Life Prisoner Re-Entry Examines Ways to Maximize Public Safety and Stretch Limited Corrections Budget

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Feb. 23, 2010— Tennessee has some 48,000 men and women in prison or jail and another 69,000 on probation or parole, costing taxpayers more than $700 million annually¹.  Like it or not, 95 percent¹ of them will eventually be released back into your neighborhoods, and two-thirds will be re-arrested within three years for a new crime or for violating the terms of their release-a financial and public safety crisis. 

March 1-3 in Nashville, Prison Fellowship - the world's largest outreach to prisoners, ex-prisoners and their families - will launch Out4Life, a re-entry movement bringing together members of Tennessee's government, business, social services and faith communities to tackle the state's re-entry crisis.  The goal is to establish local coalitions in Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, Chattanooga, Jackson and the Tri-Cities to help released prisoners find steady jobs, adequate housing, substance-abuse treatment and supportive relationships that keep them on the right track. 

"Many organizations in Tennessee are doing great work to help prisoners re-enter society, but we each can't be all things to all people," said Prison Fellowship's Tennessee Field Director Aimee Vance.  "Out4Life will be the convergence-the connecting point-for organizations and government entities in Tennessee to work together to solve the re-entry crisis that is draining the state's pocketbook and threatening the safety of our neighborhoods."

Launched in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Correction, the Out4Life event will be held at the Millennium Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville.  It will feature workshops on topics such as employment for ex-offenders, addiction treatment, public safety, family issues, special needs of women prisoners and the importance of establishing re-entry networks.

Sessions will feature expert speakers including: Gayle Ray, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC); Helen Ford, Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole; George Little, chief administrative officer for the City of Memphis and former commissioner of the TDOC; Jeanice Shearon, Davidson County Sheriff's Office; Tim Dempsey, CEO of Chattanooga Endeavors; Carmelita Freeman, U.S. Department of Justice; Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship and former Virginia attorney general; Joseph Williams, founder and CEO of New Creations Community Outreach and founder of the Christian Association for Prison Aftercare (CAPA); and  David Spickard, CEO of Jobs for Life.

All Out4Life attendees may participate in a marketplace exhibit center with booths and displays about their re-entry support services and assistance.  For more information, visit Out4Life.com or call toll-free 1-877-473-0100.

¹ Pew Center on the States; Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009

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Coverage Opportunities

• ADVANCE Interview Opportunities include:
• Prison Fellowship Tennessee Field Director Aimee Vance
• Tennessee Department of Correction Commissioner Gayle Ray
• Tennessee ex-offender Shellie Billingsley, who served several years in Tennessee Prison for Women for seven drug charges and can speak about the importance of finding jobs, housing, alcohol and drug treatment, and mentors upon release from prison
• 17-year-old son of ex-offender Shellie Billingsley, who can talk about how having his mom behind bars affected him
• Tennessee businessman Bob Fritzlan, who hired ex-offender Shellie Billingsley after her release from prison
• Prison Fellowship President and former Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley

• LIVE Interview Opportunities during the Out4Life event include:
• Tennessee ex-offender Shellie Billingsley, who served several years in Tennessee Prison for Women for seven drug charges and can speak about the importance of finding jobs, housing, alcohol and drug treatment, and mentors upon release from prison
• Businessman Bob Fritzlan who hired ex-offender Shellie Billingsley post prison
• Prison Fellowship Tennessee Field Director Aimee Vance
• Prison Fellowship President and former Virginia Attorney General Mark Earley
• Memphis-based Economic Opportunities executive director Jim Kennedy, who helps ex-offenders find employment

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