When Karen Loftin’s mother died, she was in prison. Her prison sentence even took her away from her children when each was learning to walk and talk. Now she has a college degree and a passion for helping others stay out of jail. Loftin’s story is a moving and powerful one about cycles of abuse, the ravages of drug abuse …
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Challenges to Complete Story on Pilot Program for Family Reunification
Ex-offenders face several barriers in their transition back to society: finding jobs, adequate housing or even obtaining photo identification. So when a new grant was announced to support re-entry locally, I met with the director of the agency in charge to discuss a way to share a deeper understanding on what such support looks like for each participant and what …
Read More »Former Parolees Lead Re-entry Efforts
Charles Rivers and Karen Loftin oversee $95,000 grant to reunite families By lunch time one day last year, Charles Rivers had gone from being a supervised parolee to a welcomed professional in the same office building where hours before one individual held the power to revoke his freedom. “As a parolee, you look at parole as an adversary,” Rivers said. …
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