There was a time when Daeqwon Currie thought he’d never kick heroin.
“I had a friend shoot me up the first time,” said Currie, 36, of Wilson. “I was scared I’d do it myself. And that was the moment everything changed.”
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After a string of drug charges and a stint behind bars, Currie found redemption. While in jail, he was introduced to programs and resources that he credits with turning his life around — the kinds of programs aimed at helping convicted criminals reenter society after serving a sentence.
“Making those resources available, helping people understand the pathway and the steps they need to take — that’s how change happens,” Currie told WRAL News in a recent interview.
Federal government research suggests that more than half of released prisoners end up behind bars again. But targeted reentry programs can help reduce return visits.
Some programs might focus on substance abuse or anger management. Others, such as a Nash Correctional Institution program that focuses on mental health through art, offers inmates an outlet for expression and a skill they can carry beyond prison.
“I always tell them, ‘when you get out, this is something you can continue,’” said Markell Mitchell, a Nash County corrections case manager, said at a Wilson gallery where Nash County prisoners’ art was on display. “I see people selling their art online.”
The state received $4 million last year from a federal workforce reentry grant to help prisoners gain job skills before and after release. Gov. Josh Stein last year requested at least $5.6 million in additional recurring state funds to support reentry initiatives, including funding reentry councils and post‑secondary education opportunities for incarcerated individuals, alongside funding aimed at recruiting and retaining correctional officers and healthcare professionals.
But there is no plan for the Republican-led House and Senate to take up the Democratic governor's request this year. The chambers are at an impasse over a new state budget. WRAL News requested comment on whether they would support additional funding for these programs. A spokesperson for Senator Berger didn't answer questions about whether he would support additional funding for these programs and a spokesperson for House Speaker Destin Hall says they are looking into the matter.
Caught up in the budget battle are raises for state workers, making it harder for the state to hire corrections workers. Department of Adult Corrections leaders told lawmakers that vacancies in the agency pose risks to existing staff. It also means fewer employees to assist with reentry efforts.
Barring extra funding, many reentry programs rely on donations and volunteers to operate. The Nash County art program, for instance, is fully funded by donations.
First Lady Anna Stein, who has focused on substance abuse treatment and prison reentry, was in Wilson this week to visit the gallery and to raise awareness of similar programs to boost the ranks of volunteers.
"I think there's a lot of interest that people would have to volunteer if they knew what the opportunities are,” she told WRAL News in an interview. “And so that's something that I'm going to be able to do is to try to get the word out."
In April, North Carolina Department of Adult Correction Secretary Leslie Cooley Dismukes appointed Anna Stein to the North Carolina Joint Reentry Council, which coordinates efforts to improve rehabilitation and reentry. Stein says she wants to expedite training sessions for volunteers to participate faster.
“We’re increasing the number of volunteers and expanding training, moving it online and offering it more frequently so more people can get involved,” Stein told WRAL, adding that she’s hopeful lawmakers will pass a budget with more funding for reentry programs.
A high percentage of inmates enter prison with substance use disorder or require related treatment.
“They're going to be our neighbors,” the first lady said in Wilson. “So it's important that when they leave, they're ready to be good neighbors, that they're ready to have jobs ready to take care of children.”
Daeqwon Currie is trying to be part of the solution. Now 11 years clean, he’s a certified peer support specialist at the Wilson County Substance Prevention Coalition.
He said access to treatment was transformative for him, so he’s giving back by mentoring people facing addiction risks — including some prisoners ready to reenter society.