Eighteen Graduate from the Johnson City Day Reporting Center

 Johnson City, Tenn. – Eighteen participants graduated from the Tennessee Department of Correction’s Day Reporting Center in Johnson City on Tuesday.

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.

Winter, who graduated on Tuesday night, started her journey to sobriety at the Johnson City DRC just over a year ago.

“So many things have changed – the way I think, the way I look at things now, just so much,” Winter said. “It’s amazing. At first it felt like, ‘Why do they do this? Why do they put this much pressure on us?’ But then when you complete it, it’s like you’re a totally different person. And, to become that person that you couldn’t be during addiction, it’s an amazing feeling.”

Winter, who said her next goals are to purchase a home and obtain her college degree, credits the DRC programming and the staff that facilitate it with a large portion of her success.

“While they are with us, we help them with their substance use disorder, mental health, education, and employment,” said TDOC Correctional Administrator Sara Hodges. “Our goal is to provide them with the skills and resources necessary for them to successfully reenter our communities as productive citizens.”

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

“It’s a very big accomplishment to walk across that stage,” Winter said. “During this time, I got my GED, and that was a very big accomplishment. It just means the world to me.”