Faith Based Summit Looks to Help Prisoners Rehabilitate to Life After Prison

ZANESVILLE, Ohio – Statewide there are 552 people incarcerated who are from Muskingum County. Tim Buchanan, who is the Warden at the Noble Correctional Institute in Caldwell, says a majority of them will one day return back home to Southeastern Ohio, and that it’s a taxpayer’s moral obligation to help rehabilitate them.

“These are son, they’re daughters, they’re brothers or sisters,” said Warden Buchanan. “These are people who come out of the homes here in Muskingum County and they are going to come back. So if we don’t work with them to address their addiction issues, their employment issues, mental health, medical, etc., they’re going to have issues getting readjusted to our community and resort back to lifestyles they knew before. That’s as opposed to being proactive, being successfully integrated back into our communities.”

The Faith Based Summit was held Thursday from 9 a.m. till 3:30 p.m. at the OUZ-Zane State Campus Center. The event was put on by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections in an effort to reduce recidivism in Ohio. Businesses, churches, and community members gathered to discuss and learn how to better help inmates make the transition back into society.

Buchanan said that on average 13-20 prisoners are released back to Muskingum County each month. Buchanan also said that he’s seen nothing but positive feedback from the summit and that it would not be possible without supportive community members.

“If you just look up and down the hallways you see there are so many agencies that are represented here. So many people that are willing to give and work with this population. It’s been a very good day," said Warden Buchanan.

This was the first year the Faith Based Summit was held in Southeastern Ohio and Buchanan hopes it becomes and annual event.