Course Title: Prison Reentry Long-Term Planning & Community Reintegration
Date of course: 02/17/2026
Time of course: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT
Location: Online
Registration Required: Participants must register and log in using a unique email address.
Full Attendance Required: Continuing education hours will only be awarded for full participation.
Facilitator: Lori Mellinger, TBD, Christine Zimmerly
Cost: Free
Offers: 1 HR CE in general education
Language: English
Withdrawal or Special Accommodations:
Email: christine.zimmerly@recoverypeople.org
Satisfaction Survey:
Completion of a satisfaction survey is required to receive continuing education credit.
Closed captions will be available.
Learning Objectives:
By the end of this session, you will be able to:
- Describe reentry as both a structural process & lived experience
- Identify predictable early barriers people encounter
- Apply dignity-centered approaches to support people returning to the community
Please Note
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the session. If you do not receive a confirmation email within 15 minutes, please email christine.zimmerly@recoverypeople.org.
Continuing education certificates will only be issued to the individual registered with the email address used to log in. Login credentials are unique and should not be shared.
Course Description: This 1-hour training supports Peer Recovery Support Specialists in understanding prison reentry as a long-term, complex process shaped by structural barriers, lived experience, and ongoing community reintegration challenges. Unlike jail reentry, prison reentry often involves extended incarceration, planned release, and return to communities that may have changed significantly. Participants explore predictable early barriers, the emotional and practical realities of reentry, and dignity-centered, values-based peer practices that support stability without taking over or replicating systems control. The session emphasizes peer role clarity, ethical support, and the importance of language, choice, and mutuality in long-term reentry work.