Offender Alumni Association
The Offender Alumni Association (OAA) is a non-profit organization which was co-founded in 2014 by Drayton Nabers Jr and Deborah Daniels as a support group for incarcerated and recently-released prisoners and their families with the goal of reducing recidivism and violence and empowering individuals. It was formally incorporated in 2016 with Daniels as executive director.
The Offender Alumni Association shares offices with Impact Family Counseling at 1000 24th Street South. It conducts support forums at several locations, and "OAA Inside" sessions at Limestone Correctional Facility, Bibb Correctional Facility, and St Clair Correctional Facility and Birmingham Work Release. The program has spread to other cities, including Huntsville; Atlanta and Savannah, Georgia; and Murfreesboro, Tennessee. OAA is also active in community engagement, participating in various civic projects and operates a youth mentorship program.
In 2023 the Offender Alumni Association was contracted by the City of Birmingham to operate a hospital-based violence intervention programs (HVIP) to gunshot victims receiving hospital care. UAB Hospital and the Jefferson County Department of Health are partners in that project, which was funded by the American Rescue Plan Act.
References
- Hedgepeth, Lee (July 25, 2023) "Birmingham will fund a ‘violence intervention’ program. Can it get to the heart of the problem?" BirminghamWatch