BRADD, Southern Kentucky Reentry Council distribute 100 recovery backpacks at Warren County Regional Jail

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – On Monday, March 23, The Southern Kentucky Leadership Council, along with BRADD, partnered to drop off 100 recovery backpacks to inmates leaving the Warren County Regional Jail.

The bags that are being distributed to inmates reentering society contain simple items that we normally may take for granted that will help them as they come back into the world.

“It has some food items. It has personal hygiene items. Most importantly, it has a resource guide that can answer to all of the issues that they’ll have and the barriers that they’ll face as they reenter society,” said jailer Stephen Harmon when asked about the bags’ contents and purpose.

These simple items will help the newly released inmates navigate those first days out as they reacclimate to society.

It also allows them to be released with something more than just the clothes they came in with and provide them the resources and items that will help them get through those early days.

When asked about the importance of having these bags as inmates are released, Capt. and reentry director Douglas Miles stated, “If I went to jail for even four months of my life, I would probably lose almost everything I have because I’m not paying my mortgage and my car payment. So a lot of times when you get released, if you don’t have somebody to, you know, steward those things for you, they just go away.”

Personal hygiene items will also go a long way in helping these individuals landing jobs or anything else they may need in the future.

Something as simple as a toothbrush or deodorant can help give these people the confidence they need to go find employment opportunities and reintegrate themselves back into society.

“Having a toothbrush, body wash, shampoo, things to just get themselves clean, basic necessities, they may not have had it. And it is important to show them that people care about them and help to link them to services that they may need,” said Alexis Morgan, chair of the Southern Kentucky Reentry Council.

The Warren County Regional Jail has handed out over 1,500 bags over the years and hopes to provide inmates with enough resources to get back on their feet.