KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Department of Justice has designated April 24-30, 2016, as National Reentry Week, to focus on ex-offenders reentering communities post-incarceration. U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch supports the position that the successful reentry of ex-offenders is an essential component of the department’s mission to promote public safety because crime can be reduced and neighborhoods made better places to live by helping individuals lead productive law abiding lives after they have paid their debt to society through incarceration.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee will participate in several reentry events throughout the district during National Reentry Week. On Monday, April 25, 2016, Tuesday, April 26, 2016, and Thursday, April 28, 2016, the U.S. Attorney's Office, U.S. Probation Office, and other partners will host call-in meetings in Chattanooga, Knoxville and Johnson City, where ex-offenders meet with various community service providers to seek assistance in making a positive and law abiding transition into their community.
National Reentry Week is one part of a much larger effort known as the Smart on Crime Initiative. This initiative includes a concerted effort by law enforcement and community partners to be both smart and tough on crime. The initiative has three major components that include crime prevention, rigorous prosecution of the most serious and violent criminals, and the successful reentry of ex-offenders. Acting U.S. Attorney Nancy Harr implemented an ongoing Smart on Crime program for the district in January 2016. This program is overseen by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brooklyn Sawyers in the Knoxville headquarters office.
For more information on National Reentry Week, please see: https://www.justice.gov/opa/blog/national-reentry-week. For more information on Smart on Crime, including reentry, go to:.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
