Small victories fuel larg- er hopes for Washington County’s Open Armz Reentry Program that aims to help pave the way for people emerging from incarceration after criminal convictions.
Demetria Jackson, the Open Armz case manager for the MTW Health program, points to several clients who have secured employment with Open Armz support, and outlines other initiatives to help provide foundational components like food, transportation, housing and basic necessities for someone leaving prison in pursuit of a new life path.
“We have clients who really want to change their lives around and we have some who want to, too, but maybe aren’t focused enough,” Jackson observes. “You can’t save everyone, we save who we can.”
Jackson says the obsta- cles for those leaving incarceration can be powerful and plentiful.
“They need jobs, transportation, a place to live and food to eat,” Jackson notes, acknowledging that there often are strong incentives to return to their old lives...
