On December 20, 2018, Families Free Executive Director Lisa Tipton, Clinical Director Robin Ledford, and our Director of Women’s Services Judy Clark visited with the inmates at the Johnson City Detention Center to hand-deliver Christmas care packages. With the help of Jail Administrator Amy Clark and correctional officers, we were able to provide a bag filled with toiletries, a snack cake, and a devotional for each inmate. Knowing that these women would be spending the holidays away from family, this opportunity was incredibly special and moving for our senior staff. We felt blessed to spend time with each and every person we spoke to that evening.

As part of our program specifically designed for incarcerated women, we utilize Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT®). MRT is an effective systematic, cognitive-behavioral approach that treats a wide range of issues, including substance abuse, for persons involved in the criminal justice system. MRT has proven success in reducing recidivism, increasing offenders’ moral reasoning, decreasing dropout rates, increasing life purpose, and reducing antisocial thinking and behavior. To date we have had 40 inmates complete MRT since its inception at the Johnson City Detention Center, with 12 more in the process of completing the 16 weeks (minimum) needed to graduate from the class.

Through MRT, inmates begin to believe change is possible and take the first steps in addressing their core issues, learn the concepts of criminal and addictive thinking, and begin to plan the concrete supports necessary for their success post-release.

At the heart of recovery is love. The love that drives our team to give their time to our clients long after the office has closed for the day, the love that clients must find inside themselves in order to heal and succeed, and the love from a community who supports our work. We are thankful for the opportunity to continue to love, guide, and build up our clients in the new year and in return witness the palpable social changes throughout the region. #LoveRestores