Shelby County, Tenn. – The Shelby County Mayor’s Office of Innovation released its first documentary short film highlighting Shelby County Government’s annual Southern Justice Summit and the County’s continued work on reentry initiatives.
This documentary, “ONE TV Presents: ‘Southern Justice’ – What Shelby County, TN is Doing to Reduce Recidivism,” recaps April’s Southern Justice Summit, which focused on the importance of second chances through employment for formerly incarcerated individuals. The film explores the challenges and triumphs for justice-involved individuals reentering their communities and how job opportunities play a crucial role in reducing recidivism through personal stories, compelling interviews, and excerpts from the Summit’s speakers and panel discussions.
Those featured in the film include Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris, Nashville Criminal Justice Reform Advocate Keeda Haynes, Esq., Shelby County Director of Human Resources Gerald Thornton, Director of the Tennessee Office of Reentry Dr. William Arnold, former Memphis news personality and Co-Founder of “Flip My Life” Marybeth Conley, and Conley’s husband and Co-Founder of “Flip My Life” Rick Woodall.
The release of “ONE TV Presents: ‘Southern Justice’ – What Shelby County, TN is Doing to Reduce Recidivism” also marks the start of Season 2 of Shelby County Government’s digital television series to simplify government, ONE TV.
“ONE TV Presents: ‘Southern Justice’- What Shelby County, TN is Doing to Reduce Recidivism” can be viewed at OurNextEra.tv.
“ONE TV Presents: ‘Southern Justice’ – What Shelby County, TN is Doing to Reduce Recidivism” can be viewed at OurNextEra.tv. Shelby County Mayor Lee Harris stated, “This documentary will serve as a lasting resource for individuals and communities to learn about critical services needed for successful reintegration of formerly incarcerated people. Shelby County is committed to providing second chances to justice-involved individuals. The Southern Justice Summit, and subsequently this documentary, are great ways to learn more about what reentry infrastructure Shelby County, the Mid-South, and the nation can continue to explore.”
Kelly Roberts, ONE TV Producer, added, “Creating this documentary was a team effort among the Mayor’s Office of Innovation driven by our shared commitment to shine a light on the vital issue of reentry. I’m excited to see ONE TV create more documentary film-style segments, like this one, that focus on compelling storytelling, personal stories, and creative production to help get information about Shelby County Government resources to residents.”
