In 2022, Douglas County, the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Re-Entry Program and Johnson County Government are partnering to offer several Re-Entry Simulation exercises throughout the year. These are educational outreach events that highlight the challenges faced by people transitioning from time in custody back into our community.

“Being incarcerated or being put in jail is a huge disruption to anybody’s life. We are talking about losing a job, losing potentially relationships with your family members, losing housing, suffering from addiction or suffering from mental health challenges,” said Carrie Neis, Re-Entry Director at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. “None of that generally gets better while you are in custody, so having that extra piece there of re-entry that helps bridge that gap from getting out of custody to being successful in the community is really what our focus is.”

The Re-Entry Simulations are designed to allow stakeholders and community members to gain a perspective on potential challenges people face as they work to return to the community and hopefully break a cycle of past time in custody. These new perspectives can potentially help guide policy discussions that can help improve conditions that contribute to a successful re-entry for more community members.

Re-Entry Simulation exercises are scheduled for:

• 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Jan. 12, at the Flory Meeting Hall, 2120 Harper St., at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.
• 1 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, April 13, at the Flory Meeting Hall, 2120 Harper St., at the Douglas County Fairgrounds.

Free registration is available online: form.jotform.com/213486026018149

For more information about the Re-Entry Program at the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office and how it has influenced people’s lives as they return to the community, we’d encourage you to view this video about Brandon Scrimsher’s experience.