Hundreds call new NC recidivism hotline within days of it opening: 'We love them and we care'

RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- Less than two weeks after it went live, 420 people have already called the Recidivism Reduction Hotline, operated by Raleigh-based Recidivism Reduction Education Programs Services Inc (RREPS).

According to the NC Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission, 49% of people who are released will be re-arrested within two years.

Kerwin Pittman founded RREPS and knows firsthand how challenging it can be to navigate the world after being released from prison.

"When you're in that situation and trying to reintegrate, it's like you're thrown into a foreign world," Pittman told ABC11. Pittman served more than a decade behind bars for conspiracy to commit murder. He was released at 30 on good behavior and has spent every day since advocating for change.

He hopes this hotline will help people who are just released get connected to whatever they need in the moments they need it most.

"I know that that real-time source of information can make or break somebody's successful reentry," Pittman said. "I'm hoping to have an impact on individuals coming home, know that they are loved and we see them. We love them and we care."

He said he's received calls from probation officers, corrections staff, and from people who are just being released.

Pittman said they offer resources like helping people get an ID, finding a mentor, finding housing, looking for a job - anything they need.

"Just making somebody feel like they're a whole human being when they enter back into society from being incarcerated," he said.

The main idea is, of course, to help people avoid being in a position where they re-offend, but Pittman knows the effect could be much bigger than that, reaching everyone in our community in one way or another.

"We know that when we give individuals second chances, everybody safe, including an individual who needs a second chance, they have housing, they have food, they have shelter, they're safe, and so we know if everybody's safe, then we're good," Pittman said.

Pittman also said he's already started to get calls from other states trying to create a similar hotline.

With the amount of calls he's received, he's also hoping to expand. Right now, he employs three people who take calls. As more people learn about the hotline, he's hoping to expand and offer more jobs in our community.

The hotline is available for anyone in North Carolina. You can call (800) 852-0004. Click here to learn more.