My Brother’s Keeper program seeks to reduce repeat incarceration in Columbus

A new community-based reentry initiative led by longtime advocate Dr. J. Aleem Hood is working to interrupt cycles of incarceration among both youth and adults in Columbus by combining education support, job preparation, mentoring and family stabilization.

The initiative, called My Brother’s Keeper, is designed to support individuals returning from youth detention, probation and prison, with the goal of helping them reintegrate as productive members of the community rather than returning to the criminal justice system.

Hood said the program grew out of years of community hearings and town halls that highlighted what he described as a troubling pattern: increased jail and prison construction paired with rising rates of recidivism.

“Our communities keep getting worse because the system is built around processing people through courts and jails,” Hood said. “We have to prepare our own entities so when people come back, we can wrap our arms around them.”

Addressing recidivism

Hood said his concern deepened through his work with youth and adult reentry programs. Based on his experience, he said roughly eight out of 10 youth released from youth detention return, while about seven out of 10 adults released from prison are re-incarcerated.

“These young people come out worse than when they went in,” Hood said. “Then they grow up and go straight across the street to prison. We’re losing our children.”

Hood said many incarcerated individuals spend formative years cycling in and out of detention, missing opportunities to develop stable family relationships, job skills and social supports. Without intervention, he said, many return to the same environments and behaviors that led to incarceration.

Seed funding and partnerships

The My Brother’s Keeper initiative recently received $10,000 in seed funding through a crime-prevention allocation supported by Columbus City Councilman Travis Chambers. Hood described the funding as modest but important for launching staffing and coordination.

The program operates through a network of partners, with Friends of Historic Claflin serving as the fiduciary agent. Program partners also include Project Rebound, the Bridge Program, Columbus Karate International, the Leonard Jackson tutorial program, Habitat for Humanity, Goodwill and other community organizations.

Hood said the structure allows the program to focus on direct service delivery while financial oversight is handled separately.

Two-track approach

The program serves both adults and juveniles through separate but connected tracks.

For adults — many referred through probation — services include GED preparation, job readiness training, employment placement assistance and weekly support groups. Some participants also attend court-mandated domestic violence or anger management classes, which are integrated into the program’s broader support framework.

Participants who secure employment are encouraged to remain engaged through ongoing support meetings aimed at helping them manage workplace stress, family responsibilities and personal challenges.

For youth, the program serves those returning from youth detention as well as those on probation. Services include mentoring, academic support, discipline-focused programming and family engagement. Organizers assess each youth’s needs and work with parents or guardians to help restore structure and accountability in the home.

Youth participants may also take part in community service activities, including volunteer projects, to help develop work habits and civic responsibility.

Focus on families and mentoring

Hood said the program places special emphasis on supporting single mothers and grandparents raising children, who often lack access to resources when youth encounter the justice system.

He also called on community members to become mentors, stressing that consistent adult guidance can be critical in changing outcomes.

“We’re asking people for two or three hours a week,” Hood said. “Just talk to them. Show them a trade. Let them see something different.”

Hood said formerly incarcerated adults in the program also play a role in mentoring youth, sharing firsthand experiences about the long-term consequences of incarceration.

Looking ahead

Organizers say My Brother’s Keeper will continue seeking additional funding and partnerships to expand services and reach more participants. Hood said the program’s long-term success depends on sustained community involvement.

“If we don’t do this work ourselves,” he said, “the system will keep doing what it’s designed to do — and our communities will keep paying the price.”

Residents interested in mentoring, partnering or referring participants can contact My Brother’s Keeper at 706-221-4830.