Offender Alumni Association
| Abbreviation | OAA |
|---|---|
| Formation | 2014 |
| Founders | Deborah Daniels Drayton Nabers Jr. Dena Dickerson |
| Type | Nonprofit organization |
| Headquarters | Birmingham, Alabama, United States |
| Website | offenderalumniassociation |
The Offender Alumni Association (OAA) is a nonprofit organization based in Birmingham, Alabama, that provides reentry support for formerly incarcerated people and operates community violence intervention programs.[1][2] The organization was founded in 2014 by Deborah Daniels, Drayton Nabers Jr., and Dena Dickerson.[3][4][5] OAA began as a peer-support network for people returning from incarceration and later expanded into Georgia and into reentry and violence intervention programs.
History
OAA grew out of efforts to provide support for people returning from prison. Deborah Daniels, who had been incarcerated and later worked with Prison Fellowship, had worked with former Alabama Supreme Court chief justice Drayton Nabers Jr. on a program at Bibb Correctional Facility. Their experience suggested a need for similar support after participants left prison.[3]
Dena Dickerson became involved as leader of the informal support group first organized by Daniels. As the group developed, members adopted a peer-support structure influenced by organizations such as Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous, elected officers and decided to establish a nonprofit. Dickerson was selected as executive director when the organization formalized.[3] Auburn University's Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project states that Dickerson assisted in founding OAA in 2014 and later served for six years as its volunteer executive director.[4] She subsequently became the organization's chief operating officer.[5]
Early OAA activities included support meetings, assistance with employment, housing and transportation, community service and youth outreach.[1] In 2017, members participated in a cleanup and lawn-care project for older residents of Birmingham's Titusville neighborhood.[6] By 2019, OAA was holding three support meetings each week in Birmingham.[1]
The organization also expanded into Georgia. In 2018, OAA participated in reentry efforts associated with the Northern District of Georgia's Project Safe Neighborhoods program.[7] B-Metro reported in 2019 that an Atlanta chapter had been established.[3]
In February 2025, the Birmingham City Council transferred a 4,600-square-foot building on Tuscaloosa Avenue to OAA for use as an office and community center. The agreement called for the organization to make more than $150,000 in renovations.[8] WBRC reported that the facility would be used for life-skills programming, family resources and services for survivors of gun violence.[9]
Programs
Reentry support
OAA operates peer-support meetings for people returning from incarceration. Participants receive assistance with employment, housing, transportation and other reentry needs.[1] The meetings are led in part by people who have themselves experienced incarceration and reentry.[3]
In 2024, OAA joined the Birmingham Reentry Alliance, a pilot program involving the City of Birmingham and local service providers. The alliance coordinates housing, employment, health care, case management and other services for people leaving Alabama prisons. OAA provides peer support and reentry assistance through the program.[10]
Violence intervention
In 2022, the Jefferson County Department of Health awarded OAA more than $1.1 million to establish a hospital-linked violence intervention program at UAB Hospital. OAA hired and managed violence intervention specialists and case-management staff who begin working with gunshot survivors while they are hospitalized and continue assisting them after discharge.[11]
The program, called Violence Intervention and Prevention Partners (VIP²), began serving patients in 2023. Services include case management and referrals for counseling, relocation assistance, employment and other needs.[2]
In July 2026, the Birmingham City Council approved $1.15 million to continue the program through OAA and the Jefferson County Board of Health. The funding covered services including case management, education and employment assistance, housing, food, utility payments and transportation.[12]
Research
A study published in the American Journal of Criminal Justice examined OAA's peer-support network during the COVID-19 pandemic. Researchers Stacy C. Moak, Lindsay Leban and Tina Kempin Reuter compared survey and focus-group data from 77 OAA participants with data from 41 formerly incarcerated people who did not participate in OAA. OAA participants reported greater social support and lower social isolation than the comparison group.[13]
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Shelburne, Beth (April 13, 2019). "Out of prison and giving back". WBRC. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Michaels, Ryan (May 3, 2023). "A Violence Prevention Program With A Focus on Gunshot Victims". The Birmingham Times. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Rykov, Max (April 1, 2019). "Offender Alumni Association". B-Metro. Archived from the original on November 17, 2019. Retrieved August 18, 2026. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 "The Story of APAEP". Alabama Prison Arts + Education Project. Auburn University. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Champions for Peace: A Conversation with Dena Dickerson". Giffords. March 27, 2026. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ O'Quinn, Kristina. "Community Clean Up Benefits Elders of Titusville". Bham Now. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Northern District of Georgia recognized by Department of Justice for work with Project Safe Neighborhoods". United States Department of Justice. December 7, 2018. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ Gaddy, Daniel (February 18, 2025). "Birmingham Council Transfers Property to Group Providing Violence Reduction Programs". BirminghamWatch. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ Talbert, Brady (February 21, 2025). "Birmingham nonprofit that helps former offenders, community has new facility". WBRC. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ Wright, Barnett (May 2, 2024). "For People Just Out of Prison; Birmingham, Partners Launch Novel Re-Entry Program". The Birmingham Times. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ "Grant Awarded for Program to Serve Victims of Violence in Hospital". BirminghamWatch. April 13, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ Gaddy, Daniel (July 14, 2026). "Birmingham City Council Approves $1.15 Million to Continue Hospital-Based Violence Intervention Program". BirminghamWatch. Retrieved August 18, 2026.
- ↑ Moak, Stacy C.; Leban, Lindsay; Reuter, Tina Kempin (2023). "Reentry During A Pandemic: A Pilot Study of Access to Peer Support Through Technology to Reduce Social Isolation". American Journal of Criminal Justice. 48: 1204–1223. doi:10.1007/s12103-022-09690-9. PMC 9490686 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 36159627 Check|pmid=value (help).
External links
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