Governor Cooper announced the release of the Reentry 2030 Strategic Plan was approved last week, which directs a “whole-government” coordination to improve reentry for formerly incarcerated people through 26 measurable objectives.
Portia Bright-Pittman was involved in the early stages of Governor Cooper’s Reentry Council Collaborative back in 2018. She is also the founder of N.C. Reentry Innovators for Success, Inc., a non-profit based in Winterville, focused on helping individuals reintegrate into society after incarceration.
“Initially, when we first started in 2020, it was created to help people find a place to live, you know, after they were being released from prison during the pandemic," she explained, "And so that has transitioned into, offering workshops and partnerships with the Department of Health and Human Services and N.C. Works."
Bright-Pittman, herself, is a reentry success story, being a mother, successful entrepreneur, published author and North Carolina legislative assistant. She hopes the Reentry 2030 Strategic Plan will change the dialogue around incarceration and help bring more attention to the issue.
“I think we are seeing some positive changes in our communities. And just change the, you know, the whole perspective that, you know, once a person is incarcerated that you know, that they can’t get out and do better, change their lives," she said. "Because that’s what we want to see at the end of the day, that’s the only way we’re going to be able to reduce recidivism, is to offer resources.”
Bright-Pittman said this is just the beginning and she is eager to see this initiative make an impact across the state.
“We’re excited about this partnership with Department of Health and Human Services in Pitt County and looking forward to it traveling across the state to, you know, help other folks who are in other communities access these resources as well," she said.
Several of the Reentry 2030 initiatives have already started. The Department of Adult Correction has begun a program with a driving school to help train prisoners to obtain commercial driver’s licenses, and the Department of Health and Human Services has provided $5.5 million toward a program helping recently released offenders with serious mental illnesses.