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Federal grant will help Ky. inmates find jobs, turn lives around

Jail to Job is a new program being implemented through local partnerships and funded by a federal grant to help those with addictions

By Robin Hart
The Advocate-Messenger

BOYLE COUNTY, Ky. — Jail to Job is a new program being implemented through local partnerships and funded by a federal grant to help those with addictions who are incarcerated in the Boyle County Detention Center become responsible, working, taxpaying citizens. This will be the first time that county inmates will be able to benefit from the same type of re-entry services that the state inmates already receive at the jail, said Jailer Brian Wofford.

Jerod Thomas, president and CEO of The Shepherd’s House, which has a non-resident addiction treatment facility in Danville and Lexington explained the Jail to Job program like this — “If you’re a drug addict and a horse thief, and you stop using dope, you’re still a horse thief. So after we get you to stop using drugs and alcohol, we got to stop you from stealing horses, so to speak. That’s what this re-entry program is about. We take care of the substance abuse, but we also spend time training the person, and our goal is to create a tax-paying citizen. We also want to empty his jail,” he said motioning to Wofford.

Shepherd’s House was awarded the $433,000 re-entry grant over three years from the Federal Department of Justice. “We’re the only ones in the state to receive this grant. It’s federal money… Those are very hard to get. It’s very competitive,” Thomas said.

Full story: Federal grant will help local inmates find jobs, turn lives around

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