The Greensboro program makes you feel like a recently released prison inmate

Taking public transportation, submitting to a drug test, and meeting with a probation officer may not be something anyone would volunteer to undertake, but the City of Greensboro is looking for 100 people who are willing to undertake this as a learning exercise.

In honor of National Co-Responders and Crisis Responders Week, the City of Greensboro's Office of Community Safety is offering residents the opportunity to participate in a “reentry simulation” that gives participants first-hand insight into the issues former inmates face when they leave prison and return to society.

The simulation will take place on Wednesday, September 18th from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Simkins Indoor Sports Pavilion at 1500 Barber Park Dr. in Greensboro.

Residents who wish to participate in the reintegration simulation can register online. Registration is limited to the first 100 people. For more information about the Office of Community Safety and its programs, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/OCS.

Established in September 2022, the City of Greensboro's Office of Public Safety has the stated mission of “creating a community-focused and safe Greensboro for all.”

A description of the unique September event by the city states: “As a reentry simulation, this experience allows participants to take on the role of individuals who have been in trouble with the justice system and are struggling through life immediately after incarceration. Participants are assigned personal profiles and undertake a weekly schedule that includes numerous mandatory tasks, such as taking public transportation and meeting with support groups, among other real-world hurdles such as passing drug tests, lacking income and breaking parole.”

The September event will also have an “additional aspect” of showcasing the experiences of people struggling with mental health issues and/or substance abuse.

The Office of Community Safety aims to raise awareness of the obstacles many former inmates face in the criminal justice system, and how mental illness can complicate an already complex situation.

Erin Williams, team leader of the city's Behavioral Health Response Team, said one goal of the office is to help inmates released from prison find a path to life that will keep them from going back to prison.

“The Office of Community Safety exists to provide individuals with alternatives instead of ending up in the criminal justice system. However, not everyone has the benefit of being connected to the Behavioral Health Response Team or other Office of Community Safety programs,” Williams said this week. “It's important that people recognize the gaps that the OCS is trying to fill so that OCS programs have community support and other communities can consider implementing similar programs if they don't already exist.”

Some of the official objectives of this office are as follows:

• Increase public safety through a holistic and trauma-informed response to calls for assistance.
• Provide transparency and accountability to public safety systems and the community.
• Work together to build a public safety ecosystem.
• Enhance partnerships within the City of Greensboro's internal departments and with community stakeholders to increase community engagement and build trust and legitimacy in the public safety field.