New jail outreach program adds classes, includes family members
This video is no longer available.
HENDERSON COUNTY, Tenn. — A new outreach program at the Henderson County Jail will offer more classes and opportunities for inmates to find jobs right out of jail. Sheriff Brian Duke said he hopes to reduce the number of repeat offenders. “The end result is hopefully we have a person with better tools and education to go back out into society and not come back,” Sheriff Duke said. The new program will add more classes and will focus not just on inmates, but on their families, too. “It’s a tough thing to learn not only for inmates but for families, so it helps. It gives families the chance to take courses that would help inmates when they are released,” Duke said. The new classes require almost double the volunteers from the community and covers a wide range of subjects like parenting, behavior and self-esteem. “I think it helps them prepare to be more of a people person. Maybe to look at something themselves, just a different outlook on the way they need to present themselves,” Duke said. Sergeant Samantha Wood, who works in the jail, said she has seen positive transformations in some inmates and hopes the trend continues. “The serious inmates here, you can tell a change in them, from going to classes and really listening and understanding,” Sergeant Wood said. The program continues to offer GED classes and is offered by the state at no cost to the jail.
