Bedford County Sheriff's Office hosted a Reentry Simulation event Thursday morning at The Fly Arts Center in Shelbyville. A wide variety of community leaders and volunteers attended the event, a role-playing exercise designed to help people understand the problems faced by jail or prison inmates attempting to return to society.

Each participant was issued a data sheet with information about their character -- their life situation, resources and challenges. Some people already had several forms of ID; some did not, and learned that they would have to obtain ID before visiting any of the other stations.

Various stations represented things like social services, banking, the court system, probation, and employment. The participants had to deal with the various stations as required by their data sheet. Participants learned about the challenges an inmate can face in trying to turn their life around and start anew.

Markesiah Jackson of the State of Tennessee's Human Resources department conducted the simulation. She warned participants that at past events, people can become invested in their characters and become quite frustrated and agitated at their inability to get the documents, resources or assistance they need.

Sponsors of the event were Cedar Recovery; Drug Rescue; State Rep. Pat Marsh; and the Center for Family Development. The organizing committee included Benita Caldwell, Aaron White, Sylvia Pinson, Lt. Chris Cook of Bedford County Jail, and Chief Deputy Nikia Elliott of BCSO.

Jackson said she hopes to have another event in Bedford County in the future for those who could not participate in his one.