Testimonials illustrate the importance of the Kosciusko Community Recovery Program

Several witnesses at a meeting about the new recovery program at the Kosciusko County Jail illustrated the importance of community and recovery.
And these two aspects are part of the name of the new program.
The Kosciusko Community Recovery Program (KCRP) focuses on increasing the success of individuals after release. A public meeting Monday at the Zimmer Biomet Center’s Lake Pavilion in Warsaw focused on informing the community about the program while fielding questions and hearing suggestions about how to help inmates after they are released from the Kosciusko County Jail.
Shanna Wallen, KCRP’s resource navigator, who was first hired in July, said incarceration and addiction are community-wide issues.
“I first saw the need when I volunteered for the prison’s Chemical Addiction Program,” Wallen said. “Everyone deserves the opportunity for growth and lasting change. I’ve known for years how much a program like KCRP was needed, and I was willing to do whatever I could to support it. Little did I know that I would be the one to build it. . “

Kosciusko Community Recovery Program Resource Navigator Shanna Wallen addresses attendees at a community meeting about KCRP. Photo by Liz Adkins, InkFreeNews

Both Wallen and Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith said it was Wallen’s responsibility to determine the resource navigator’s role within the jail.
“KCRP’s vision is to provide support, education and resources to inmates, with a heavy focus on those who are 60 to 90 days from their release date,” Wallen said. “Pre-release services include a needs assessment I do, mental health services and peer coaching from our community partners. Post-release services include referrals to community partners… and specific services for each person’s situation”.
Wallen said the program is for those who are willing to break the cycle and make better choices. Recently, Wallen assisted four inmates nearing release with a variety of matters, including transportation, community resources and physical support during a court hearing.
Smith provided the history of how the program was created. Before taking office as sheriff, Smith said there was movement in the sheriff’s office to have an Integrated Correctional Reentry and Support (IRACS) program at the jail. As talks progressed, the sheriff’s office decided to have the program at the jail, but run by the sheriff’s office instead of a third party.
Smith tasked JCAP Coordinator Casey Trombley with leading the charge to hire a resource navigator for KCRP. He recalled meeting with two inmates who were about a month away from prison before starting KCRP.
“His dialogue with me was very similar,” Smith said. “‘Sheriff, I’m out of here in a month. I don’t want to come back here. But I know myself and if I don’t change something, this is what’s going to happen.'”
Wallen said one of his favorite aspects of the job is that no two days are the same.

Diane Kern, a Living in Transition Effectively volunteer, gave a testimony of helping a former inmate by allowing the individual to reside with her after his release from prison. Photo by Liz Adkins, InkFreeNews

“Some days, I connect inmates to recovery houses or work on replacing birth certificates and ID cards,” Wallen said. “Going to jail can mean losing everything you have…your family, your friends, your job. I’ve talked to people who had their vehicle impounded when they were arrested and literally had all their clothes, their identification, inside Each day brings something different, but it all works towards the same goal I’m willing to listen and encourage, and that makes a big difference to some of them… I share with them my own story of how I’ve never been incarcerated, but I’ve been through a lot of other hardships. I went through, but also who I’ve been able to become despite my past shows them that they too can use their past to help others.”
Diane Kern, a Living in Transition Effectively (LITE) volunteer, recalled becoming a mentor to an inmate and allowing the woman to reside with her until she could safely move to Tennessee.
He said when the woman was released, she had very few personal belongings.
Kern said the woman told her she would have had no choice but to go to a trap if Kern hadn’t offered her a place to stay. A trap is a phrase typically used to describe a drug den.
“I was surprised there wasn’t anything else for her,” Kern said. “Here was someone who was asking for help, who had earned help, who was doing everything in his power to get help, and if he hadn’t come into my life, I don’t know where Ella would be right now, I can’t stress enough how important this step is.”
Wallen said the community needs to show understanding and offer second chances to those released from prison.
“Access to housing, jobs, transportation, community support for these released inmates … that’s what they need to turn their lives around,” Wallen said.
After the testimony, a question-and-answer panel was held featuring Smith, Kosciusko Superior Court Judge Karin McGrath, Kosciusko County Probation Officer Tammy Johnston and District Court Judge-elect Kosciusko Circuit, Matt Buehler.
Some areas community members asked the panel to consider with KCRP included the need for more transitional housing, such as Fellowship Missions and Serenity House. One citizen also expressed concern about how criminal records affect them as parents when attending their children’s school activities. Another citizen emphasized the importance of having additional meetings to continue these conversations within the community.