Anyone returning to freedom from Davidson Correctional Institution in Lexington, NC or Sampson Correctional Institution in Clinton, NC, will automatically receive a Digital Opportunity First Aid Reentry Kit on the day of his release, with two exceptions. Recipients:

• Must have been at Davidson CC or Sampson CI for at least 30 consecutive days before release

• Must not have any detainers on their records that will require them to be picked up by law enforcement and transferred to a county detention center

OurJourney's longterm goal is to provide Digital Opportunity First Aid Reentry Kits to people being released from other state correctional facilities in North Carolina.

Right now the Digital Opportunity First Aid Reentry Kit program is only for men returning from Davidson Correctional Center or Sampson Correctional Institution. However, OurJourney desires to expand this program to other state correctional facilities in North Carolina, including to our women's prisons. We will, however, have a Standard First Aid Reentry Kit available for female returning citizens by the summer of 2025.

No! It's theirs to keep, even if they eventually get a different phone, in which case we encourage them to give the phone they received from OurJourney to someone they know who is returning after incarceration from another state correctional facility. By the way, OurJourney only includes brand new phones, not refurbished ones.

Approximately two weeks before the free 90 days service ends, they will receive a text message from OurJourney with instructions for how to keep their phone and their service, how to keep their phone but transfer the service to a different carrier, or how to transfer their phone number to a different device. They can also call our toll-free number for one-on-one assistance with this process.

OurJourney partners with The Connectivity Project, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization in Asheville, to provide the free, unlimited 90 days service. The Connectivity Projects contracts with US Mobile. US Mobile is an American mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) that uses the T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, and AT&T networks to provide talk, text, and data services to their customers, including throughout North Carolina.

Yes, it is an unlimited data, talk and text plan. As with nearly all unlimited plans, data access starts at high speeds and then slows with usage, but there is no limit.

No! OurJourney sets each phone up before we ship it. Employees at our Distribution Center in Newton insert the SIM card, update the device to the latest operating system (if needed) and preload the MyJourney Reentry App.

We then provide The Connectivity Project with all of the information they need to connect the phone to service, which is programmed to begin on the day of the person's release from Davidson CC or Sampson CI.

The phone is ready to use right out of the box, and we include an instruction card that has their brand new number printed on it.

Yes! MyJourney is now available for free download from both the Apple App Store and (iOS) and the Google Play Store (Android). To learn more, please click here.

Recognizing that some people, especially the elderly or those who have been incarcerated for several years, may not know how to use their new smartphone, OurJourney has set up a HelpLine to give one-on-one assistance.

Anyone who receives a phone from us through this program can call that number, which is printed on the inside lid of their Digital Opportunity First Aid Reentry Kit box and in other included literature. Our operators, which are all formerly-incarcerated themselves, can walk them through how to get the most out of their device, from the simple, such as sending a text, to the more complex, such as setting up a free email account.

We've even developed a 78-page User's Manual just for the device they received from us that we will offer free of charge to anyone who calls our HelpLine. Anyone can access this User's Manual in flip book format by clicking here.

People who receive a phone from us can call us as often as they like until they're comfortable using their phone without any assistance.

OurJourney developed training curriculum specifically for the Samsung Galaxy A15, the phone we include inside our Digital Opportunity First Aid Reentry Kits, and our operators are trained to provide assistance for that phone only.

However, we always want to try to help our returning brothers and sisters, so if you have a smartphone that you didn't receive from us and need some help learning how to use it, give us a call at 888-269-4956 (Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM). Again, we can't promise that we'll know how to help you use your specific device, but we'll do all we can to help.

Our resources are limited, so please do not call this number for help learning how to use your phone if you are not a formerly incarcerated resident of North Carolina or for any other purpose. If you need any other kind of reentry assistance, please call our main office number at 888-507-3368 (Monday through Friday from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM). You can also text us at that number.

Absolutely not. We don't monitor website visits, phone calls, texts, emails or any other activity. All we see is if the phone is still in use. Remember, we were once incarcerated ourselves, so we value the privacy of our clients as much as we value our own.

Yes! Thanks to our partnership with the NC Department of Adult Correction, all Digital Opportunity First Aid Reentry Kits include two doses of Narcan on a lanyard that includes an instruction card.

Unfortunately, no. You can, however, order a Standard First Aid Reentry Kit for your loved one. Click here for more information.

Yes! Lewis Whitmire is our Director of Distribution and oversees our Distribution Center in Newton, NC. If you have questions or comments about anything on this page, please contact him at lewis.whitmire@ourjourney2gether.com. You can also call our office between 9:00 AM and 5:30 PM Monday through Friday at 888-507-3368.