Four graduate from Chattanooga Day Reporting Center

Chattanooga, Tenn. – Four participants graduated from the Tennessee Department of Correction’s Day Reporting Center in Chattanooga on Monday night. The Day Reporting Center is a structured and intensive outpatient program that serves as an alternative to incarceration for eligible offenders with substance use needs. During the three-phase program, offenders undergo evidence-based programming and treatment in an environment where they can continue to be with their families in the community.

“The experience is challenging and transformative, as participants commit to months of programming, personal accountability, and community support,” said Chattanooga DRC Director Logan Bowers. “This graduation celebrates individual achievement and underscores the broader goal of the DRC: to reduce recidivism, strengthen communities, and give participants the tools to build a more stable and productive future.”

Neashia, one of Monday’s graduates, said that the DRC program has changed her life. Now that she is sober, Neashia is in school studying crime scene investigation with the goal of becoming a criminologist.

“In the past, I’ve lost good jobs because of my drug use, and I had to worry about the police all the time, and I don’t have to worry about that anymore,” said Neashia. “And now I’m in the career field of criminal justice, and so it’s just even more motivation to stay sober, and I know I can because of the DRC.”

Courtney, another of Monday’s graduates, said thanks to the tools he has been given at DRC, his goal moving forward is to start his own business.

“I know how to move without being addicted to drugs,” Courtney said. “I know how to maintain my sobriety. I know how to open up. I know how to be more of a people person.”

The DRC is complemented by an on-site Community Resource Center, which connects offenders with resources in employment and housing, GED classes, health education, and more.