Sheriff’s office creating re-entry council for Pee Dee region

HORRY COUNTY, SC (WMBF) - The Horry County Sheriff’s Office is creating Pee Dee’s first-ever re-entry council aiming to help former inmates once they leave jail or prison.

The sheriff’s office says every region in South Carolina has a re-entry council except for the Pee Dee. So, they came together this month to get the ball rolling on a council that would serve the area,

The re-entry council will aim to help and provide resources for both former inmates as soon as they get out and those having a hard time adjusting. The council met for the first time last week and says the biggest issues they want to tackle are transportation, employment, housing and getting IDs for former inmates.

HCSO Treatment Director Dustin Walters says this could be just what our area needs to help those getting out of jail stay out of jail.

“Once they are able to receive the help that they need, what I think we’ll find is better-prepared citizens,” Walters says. “They can come back and do the things they need to do to be successful and not come back to jail or prison and live the life they desire to live.”

Walters says around 40 people showed up to the council’s first meeting, and their next steps are gathering even more people who want to help former inmates with a smooth transition back into society.

The State Department of Correction’s Assistant Deputy Re-entry Director Peggy Murvin says part of her job is forming regional re-entry councils, and the Pee Dee area was on her list.

She says these re-entry councils are important and not only help the inmates but everyone who calls the area home.

“When folks return to their communities better than when they left and if we can return them with the tool and resources that they need in order to increase their chances for success,” Murvin says. “That’s better for everyone, it’s better for our communities, better for the folks we’re trying to help, it’s a win, win.”

The HCSO says they hope to have the re-entry council fully established within the year.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.