Reentry advocate Kerwin Pittman (holding pair of ceremonial scissors) is joined by colleagues and supporters (including First Lady Anna Stein) at a ceremony celebrating the launch of North Carolina’s second Mobile Recidivism Reduction Center in Raleigh on July 2, 2025. (Photo: Ahmed Jallow/NC Newsline)
North Carolina First Lady Anna Stein joined social justice advocate Kerwin Pittman on Wednesday to unveil the state’s second mobile Recidivism Reduction Center, expanding an effort to support people leaving prison as they transition back into society.
The center is run by Recidivism Reduction Educational Program Services (RREPS), the nonprofit Pittman founded after his own experience with incarceration. In just 70 days, the group’s first mobile center has served more than 3,000 people in three cities — a pace Pittman said reflects both the urgency of the need and the effectiveness of the model.
“Too many people have fallen through the cracks and aren’t given a second chance,” Pittman told attendees. “We’re here to change that.”
The mobile centers — housed in customized RVs — provide case management and a suite of wraparound services, including job placement, housing assistance, mental health support, and help obtaining important documents like identification. The goal is to reduce recidivism by meeting people’s basic needs in the critical days and weeks after they leave prison.
About 95% of people in North Carolina prisons will eventually be released, and studies show the first 72 hours after release are particularly high-risk, with many struggling to find stable housing, employment, or healthcare.
First Lady Stein, a member of the state’s Joint Reentry Council, praised the initiative for addressing those challenges head-on.
“Communities benefit when all residents can achieve their goals,” she said. “This work helps build safer, stronger communities by giving people the support they need to succeed.”
North Carolina is among a half-dozen states participating in Reentry 2030, a national initiative aimed at improving reentry outcomes by the end of the decade.
The state’s Joint Reentry Council — made up of government agencies, nonprofit groups, and directly impacted individuals — has identified reducing barriers to housing, employment, and health care as key priorities.
RREPS opened its first mobile center in January. The vehicles are equipped with computers, private meeting space, and intake systems to connect clients with services. The organization’s goal is to deploy mobile units across the state to serve people in both urban and rural areas who might otherwise lack access to reentry support.
Pittman said the centers are also designed to break down silos between service providers and ensure formerly incarcerated people aren’t left navigating a complex system alone.
“Our mission is simple,” he said. “Nobody should be defined by their worst mistake.”
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