Residents Could Get New Ex-Con Neighbors

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Some residents near the borders of Davidson, Wilson and Rutherford counties are concerned about the possible construction of a halfway house.

Video: Area Could Soon Be Home To Ex-Cons

A successful Christian ministry for recovering prisoners hopes to build a campus near Long Hunter State Park that could house as many as 120 felons.

The facility would be built on about 53 acres on a peninsula bordering the three counties near the park.

The organization Men of Valor works with inmates who are in their last full year in prison. The felons have a mentor, a job, must attend church on Sunday and can only move into the after-care program by a unanimous staff vote.

"These are men who have proven themselves for a year who, yes, made a mistake. They have a felony record, but they want to make a difference, and they want to make a change. They want to better their families. They want to better themselves. If it's not somebody that we would not want living next door to me, I'm not going to put them next door to you," said Men of Valor spokesman Curt Campbell. "These are men who have proven themselves, who literally want to become what we call givers to the community as opposed to takers."

Not everyone in the area shares Campbell’s enthusiasm.

According to statistics, 70 percent of released criminals go back to a life of crime. Men of Valor said that only 18 percent of the people they take in ever go back to crime.

While some said they might like the idea of a successful rehab program, that program in their neighborhood feels a little different.

"That is a big negative that people have read on their Web site. Because they read that and said, 'You know, we bring 100 men over here, and 21 of them could be committing crimes in our neighborhood.' And we have a very low-crime area. At this point, I’m going to leave it to the neighborhood, and that’s exactly what I told them: 'I'd have to leave it to the neighbors.' I'm going to be honest, right now, a lot of the feedback I'm getting right now is totally opposed," said Metro Councilman Robert Duvall.

Men of Valor get to present their plan and will answer questions on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Long Hunter State Park, and a large crowd is expected. The land would also have to be rezoned before any construction could begin.