Brandon Burley is a retired detective and now a criminal justice educator in Knoxville who has seen firsthand how reentry shapes public safety and neighborhood stability.

He has provided the information for this article below to highlight local organizations quietly building a stronger reentry ecosystem in our community.

Every year in Knox County, we talk about crime, arrests, and court backlogs. What we don’t talk about nearly enough is what happens next — how people actually return home after jail, and what determines whether they become repeat statistics or stable neighbors. That silence shapes public safety more than most realize.

As a retired detective who spent years watching the same individuals cycle through our courts, I have seen what happens when reentry fails — and what happens when it succeeds. Now, as a criminal justice educator focused on reducing recidivism, I see a different side of the same problem: the programs that truly change outcomes are not the ones on billboards or campaign speeches. They’re the ones quietly doing the work day after day in Knoxville.

And several of them deserve our attention.

Men of Valor-Accountability That Lasts Beyond Release: Men of Valor’s East Tennessee program provides something the justice system simply can’t: structure that continues after release.

  • High expectations
  • Steady mentorship
  • A full-year, stable aftercare housing program

The men who complete it show recidivism rates dramatically lower than the state average. Not because the program goes easier on them — but because it stays with them long enough for change to take root. This is what effective reentry looks like: structure plus support, not one or the other.

Knox County Church Network-A Coalition of Churches Working Together: The Knox County Church Network (KCCN) is a rare thing in today’s landscape — churches across denominations coordinating to serve the community together. Two of their initiatives are especially important for long-term reentry success:

  • Renew Clinic is a long-term, Christ-centered recovery program that focuses on addiction — one of the biggest drivers of repeat arrests statewide. Renew combines counseling, clinical support, and built-in accountability to help individuals stabilize before their lives spiral back toward crisis.
  • RISE walks alongside individuals and families facing the pressures that often lead to involvement with the justice system. Through relationships, mentoring, and practical support, they rebuild the community connections people typically lose after incarceration or addiction. Programs like these don’t replace the justice system — they reinforce what the system cannot do alone.
  • All4Knox-A Unified Community Strategy for Prevention: All4Knox connects schools, churches, recovery organizations, treatment providers, and local government to address substance misuse proactively. When addiction is addressed early — before the next arrest, the next eviction, the next crisis — the entire trajectory of a person’s life changes. Prevention is not an abstract policy. It is the first step in reducing recidivism.

A Growing Reentry Ecosystem Worth Recognizing: These local initiatives share a simple truth: redemption is not just a moral idea. It is a public-safety strategy. When people have stable housing, consistent recovery support, and a community willing to challenge and encourage them, their likelihood of returning to the system drops significantly.

Knoxville is already building a reentry ecosystem that many communities wish they had.
But it only works if we recognize it — and invest in it. We don’t need to rebuild the entire system. We need to strengthen what is already proving effective:

  • sustained accountability,
  • long-term mentorship,
  • community-rooted recovery,
  • early intervention, and
  • partnerships that cross organizational lines.

Knoxville has the pieces in place. Now we need the willingness to see them — and keep growing them.

Author Bio: Det. Brandon Burley (Ret.), M.P.A., is a criminal justice educator whose academic work focuses on reducing recidivism through public policy. He has authored several criminal justice books and has been published in national law enforcement publications.

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