It can be a challenge for Incarcerated Kentuckians to return to society. In Rowan County, one facility is working to make that transition easier. The Mountain Comprehensive Care Center is a mental health agency that specializes in reentry for those dealing with mental health or substance abuse problems. It was started in Prestonsburg and has expanded to Morehead.
Kristin Tiedeman is the program director for the center’s Northeast Kentucky Reentry Program. She said giving people peace of mind as they’re close to release goes a long way.
“So, the idea is that we don’t want anyone who is getting out, who’s being released in our program, to not know where they’re going to be staying, to not know where they’re going to be going, to not know what clothes they’re going to wear out. All of that is taken care of before they walk out the door.”
Tiedeman said the relationships they form with people while they are still in jail are vital.
“What we’re told by our participants, is that if they didn’t have the support that we do and have the plan and have somebody picking them up, they would have gone back to where they were, to what they were doing prior to, because they just don’t know how to do anything but that, often.”
Tiedeman says one of their main goals is to help reduce the rate of recidivism. Since opening their doors in 2020, Tiedeman says they have served around 100 people.
