By Ben Wright
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
COLUMBUS, Ga. — A program aimed at helping military veterans stay out of prison once they are released was introduced Thursday at Jack T. Rutledge State Prison during a visit from Gov. Nathan Deal.
“This is a positive step forward in the state of Georgia,” Deal said after a ribbon cutting. “I am very proud to se that our Department of Corrections is taking these kind of positive, affirmative and I think successful steps in the right direction.”
The prison off Schatulga Road in Columbus is one of three participating in the Veterans Re-entry Program. The other two are Johnson State Prison in Wrightsville and Emanuel Women’s Facility in Swainsboro.
With a dorm equipped to serve 24 veterans, officials said the program allows opportunities for positive change and assists in helping offenders for re-entry into society as they leave the prison system.
In January, the Department of Corrections identified 3,000 veterans as inmates, including 70 women. To be considered for the program, a male veteran must be between six and 24 months from a release date, but there is no time constraint for women.
Deal said the re-entry program is part of continuing efforts in criminal justice reform. Soon after taking office nearly four years ago, Deal said he learned the state was placing too many nonviolent people in prison. The state approved diversion programs such as Drug Court, Veterans Court and others resources to keep people out of prison.
“Just as we look forward to the Veterans Courts being a diversion program on the front end, this program will also be successful in dealing with those inmates who have also served our country and they did so voluntarily,” the governor said. “They have gotten in trouble and wound up here in our state prison system.”
Before the diversion systems were put in place, Deal said 1 in 3 inmates were returning to the system in three years or less.
“That doesn’t keep anybody safe,” Deal said. “It’s an expensive way to do things. We are doing better. We are seeing our prison population drop.”
Buster Evans, assistant commissioner for education at the Department of Corrections, said the program has been operating since July. The program is expected to lower the recidivism rate of the veterans once they return to society.
“Ninety five percent of those at the Department of Corrections one day will go back to their community,” he said. “We need to do a great job of preparing them for that.”
Two of the inmates at Rutledge welcome the program.
Mark McKenna, 48, said he immediately bonded with other veterans.
“I was glad to be around guys that were similar to ones I served with,” he said.
McKenna, who served eight years in military including five in National Guard as a military police, said the group is diverse with soldiers having all types of skills.
Christopher Haynes, 31, said he’s looking forward to getting started and hopes to possibly return to school for more education when he gets out of prison.
Haynes said he worked on the F-15 fighter’s armament system during his year-long service in the Air Force.
“I’m very excited we started this program,” he said. “I didn’t look forward to it to happen but I was ready to jump all over it.”