A statewide nonprofit and a district attorney argue the importance of inmate reentry

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) – It’s been one week since the release of the documentary “The Alabama Solution,” which gives a glimpse into Alabama’s state prison system. The documentary has sparked many conversations around prison reform and re-entry for former inmates.

One statewide nonprofit, Shepherd’s Fold, has been helping previously incarcerated men get established and find stable jobs since 1986. Shepherd’s Fold says rehabilitation is possible and there are people who are living proof of that every day.

“Everybody has done something wrong. Now, whether they got caught or whether they didn’t get caught is really the only difference. And those that did get caught, they’ve gone behind and if they don’t have that ‘aha’ moment, they’re going to continue to go through that,” said Trent Redwine, the director of operations at Shepherd’s Fold. “To say that they need to stay there, I disagree with wholeheartedly, because some of the best people come from that background. And because they do come out and have that second chance to get back into society, those are the people we need to be leaning on and looking at to find out ‘what happened to change your mind.'”

Redwine understands firsthand the power an organization like Shepherd’s Fold can have.

“I was locked up back in 2013, and that’s when I got out. And then coming out and going through a transitional center myself and seeing the positives and the negatives in it. Once I completed that I was out working in the private sector and just was able to get back involved,” he said.

Redwine’s appreciation for Shepherd’s Fold is echoed by many, including Jeffrey Eiland, who turned to the organization for help in 2012.

“Without their help, I had no where to go. Living on the street, doing things that are not legal,” Eiland said. “Terrible, terrible. My life would have been terrible.”

Eiland was arrested in 2009 on drug-related charges. He served three years in prison and was released to serve five years on probation.

“I’ve had other people tell me that people don’t change. I’m living proof,” he said. “People do change. People can change. But it takes intentionality and commitment to that change.”

Eiland is now a therapist and clinical social worker.

“Reentry is very difficult because there are tons of men just like me, and women, who have no where to go, no money, and no hope,” said Eiland. “Without hope, there’s no future.”

According to the Alabama Department of Corrections, 28.7% of people released from prison are re-arrested without proper re-entry support. Shepherd’s Fold says of the people who go through their program, only 3% reoffend.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do on reentry. You know, making sure that there is access to ID’s, something that simple. You know, the job fair that I put on,” said Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr. “It’s important because we know when people get out of jail and they’re one of our returning citizens, it’s sometimes difficult to find jobs because of that felony conviction.”

Carr believes one of the ways you fight crime is by changing the trajectory of people’s lives.

Shepherd’s Fold says it’s helped more than two thousand people transform their lives.