KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — "Handcuffs to Hope" is something Jessica Birch has been working on for years. She has been in recovery for the last nine years.

"What started that process was that I ended up on probation. And so there were things I had to complete for the criminal justice system, also while taking care of my personal recovery. So again, one of those areas that you don't have a lot of that peer support in place," Birch said.

That's why she's building an organization that will address that gap in peer support. Birch said that while she didn't go through her recovery process alone, she knows how beneficial it would have been to have the support of someone with lived experience.

"We have gathered some people together who are full of lived experience and able to provide the support progra

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