A new documentary film Coming Home directed by Bess O'Brien will tour Vermont this fall.
Coming Home Tour Dates:
~ Oct 11 and 12th at 7pm at Burlington City Arts
~ Oct 16th at 7pm at Essex Cinemas
Here's the film trailer - https://vimeo.com/288447403
Coming Home focuses on five people returning back to their Vermont communities from prison. The film focuses on the innovative COSA program (Circle of Support and Accountability) that helps reintegrate folks back into their daily lives. The COSA program is run through Vermont's Community Justice Centers and is part of the restorative justice model.
COSA's are made up of community volunteers who meet once a week with offenders enabling those coming out or prison to create strong bonds of support, friendship and accountability as they work to become healthy members of society. Prisoners that are often placed in COSA's include sex offenders, drug related criminals, and felons. The rate of recidivism drops when folks are involved with a COSA team.
Coming Home is a film that takes an intimate and powerful look at this COSA process, the struggles and challenges of folks coming out of prison and the successes of the restorative justice model.
The film follows five people from St. Johnsbury, Montpelier, Barre and White River Junction who are trying to turn their lives around after returning back to their communities from prison. We see these folks create new bonds, make amends with old friends and family, work on their recovery from addiction, get new jobs, housing and start their lives from scratch. The film follows the ups and downs of these five individuals and the powerful relationships that they build with their COSA team volunteers.
The Coming Home screenings are free to the public (donations are greatly appreciated to help offset the costs of the tour).
Oct 7, 2024, 6 PM
Eagle Scout Bottle Drive - Oct. 12Oct 12, 2024, 8:30 AM to 11 PM
Pianist Claire Black: "Forests & Fairy Tales"Oct 13, 2024, 4 to 5:30 PM