Mark Luttrell Transition Center Holds Father/Daughter Dance for Residents

MEMPHIS – On Saturday night, Mark Luttrell Transition Center (MLTC) held its third annual Father/Daughter Dance for residents.  During the course of the evening, guests enjoyed dancing, food, family pictures, and games.

Chaplain James Armes shares that this event would not be possible without the commitment of the staff.  “We try to improve it every year,” Armes goes on to add, “The guys really appreciate what we are doing, and after the event I debrief with them to see what they liked and didn’t like, so we can try and adapt it to be more enjoyable for the kids and the residents.”

According to MLTC Chief Counselor Angely Mitchell, reunifying families is a big goal for the transition center.  “This is our third year to hold the Father/Daughter Dance and it’s our first event of the year. The residents look forward to it and so do the families.  We have prepared for about 60 guests to attend the dance.”

The Father-Daughter Dance is just one of the family reunification programs offered at MLTC.  To be eligible to participate in the event, residents had to be disciplinary free, have a daughter on their visitation list, and the children must have a legal guardian present.  TDOC proudly offers family reunification programs at MLTC, recognizing the importance of positive familial ties in regards to family reunification post incarcerations as well as curbing generational criminal behavior

Located in Shelby County, MLTC is the department’s first transition center.  While every Tennessee Department of Correction facility has reentry programming, MLTC offers intensive workforce development training to help offenders overcome one of the most significant obstacles to reentry – finding gainful employment.