MARC MISSISSIPPI ASSOCIATION FOR RETURNING CITIZENS

Our Mission is to create a support system for inmates to help them break through the cycles of incarceration and poverty through accountability, collaboration, building resources, and discovering opportunities.

In January 2018, a prison chaplain and Catholic sister were brought together by way of a shared concern about people who, after serving their prison time, were released to Mississippi communities without sufficient support to keep them from returning to a life of crime and re-incarceration. They believed that a strengthened support system would create the stability and self-confidence needed for formerly incarcerated individuals to navigate their way back into society, and that this would help break through the cycles of incarceration and poverty. Discovering an in-prison curriculum-based program known as "Getting Ahead while Getting Out" (GA/GO), they reached out to the MS Dept. of Corrections (MDOC) and held a day long training workshop, which led to the creation of what is now known as Mississippi Association for Returning Citizens (MARC). MARC was officially established with 501c3 nonprofit status in 2019. MARC’s scope of service is state-wide, and includes both Pre-Release Support, using the in-prison GA/GO program that guides inmates in their reentry planning, and Post-release Support, which connects Returning Citizens with sustainable community resources and sources of support. MARC is now providing the GA/GO program in 6 MS state correctional facilities. Volunteers are involved as GA/GO Facilitators, Community Navigators, and a variety of other functions.