Episode 56: Building a Community for the Formerly Incarcerated with Guest Brian Scott

Episode 56: Building a Community for the Formerly Incarcerated with Guest Brian Scott

 

Our last episode of the year is truly something special! This time, we sat down with Brian Scott - the Executive Director of Our Journey, a statewide non-profit reentry organization focused on supporting the 19,000 men and women who are released from state correctional facilities each year. Brian begins by sharing his unique journey and personal connection to the mission of Our Journey, as a previously incarcerated person himself. He highlights the immense amount of support he received from the friends he made in prison and how crucial mental and spiritual support is for people going through the reentry process. It was this experience that inspired him to start Our Journey.

 

BJ and Brian then discuss how mental help is just as important as material help for those being released, and the idea that previously incarcerated people have a responsibility to support each other. They highlight that being released from prison is half the battle and reentry looks different for everyone. Brian explains that the mission of Our Journey is to provide customized programs that guide people through this process. He and BJ also discuss one of the main roadblocks facing people released from prison: housing, and how it increases the possibility that police will arrest them due to community complaints of being homeless.

 

BJ and Brian wrap up the conversation by sharing how YFO has been involved in Our Journey programs by helping previously incarcerated persons understand what to expect when interacting with law enforcement and how to get through interactions safely. 

We can’t wait to share this eye-opening conversation with y’all!

 

Get a copy of Brian’s reentry booklet for the formerly incarcerated: https://www.ourjourney2gether.com/_files/ugd/a3c001_b907f7245da04b2fbbd364790ce23dcf.pdf

*BJ wrote a piece on interacting with law enforcement for this booklet, on page 49!*

 

More about Brian Scott

Brian served 20 years in prison before being released in February of 2021. He founded OurJourney one year later because he realized that too many people return after incarceration without any support. In less than three years, OurJourney has grown into one of the premier statewide reentry organizations in North Carolina, forging partnerships with the North Carolina Department of Adult Correction, the North Carolina Department of Information Technology, Local Reentry Councils, LME/MCOs, and other stakeholders. Brian is often asked to speak around the state on issues related to reducing recidivism and criminal legal reform. 

In addition to serving as OurJourney's Executive Director, Brian is also on the Advisory Board for the Building College-Community Partnerships for Reentry research project at Ithaka and is part of the cohort on Community Safety for the Duke North Carolina Leadership Forum.