By C1 Staff
DIXMOOR, Ill. — Where it used to only focus on military discipline, the Cook County Jail Boot Camp is now arming inmates with valuable work skills for use upon their release.
“General knowledge of power tools. How to handle them safely, being in an environment like this. It’s beneficial,” one boot camp graduate, Deangelo Reed, told ABC News.
It’s a repurposing of the program to not only educate offenders but also to give back to the communities around them. For years, abandoned buildings in Dixmoor were magnets for crime, but now inmates are knocking them down to make the land available for other construction.
“For literally nothing, towns and villages that could not afford to take buildings down are having it done by people who are serving time off a sentence,” Sheriff Tom Dart said. “They’re restoring a community, learning a valuable skill that can then be transferred into the real world to get real jobs.”
Dixmoor is happy, and 10 to 12 other suburbs are in line for the boot camp teams.