LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Nearly 20 inmates from Louisville Metro Corrections graduated Thursday from a program aiming to keep them from reoffending.
Resource officers said the root cause of some of the crimes committed is substance abuse. Programs like this aim to change their mindset and keep them out of jail.
Nearly 20 Metro Corrections inmates graduated from the Chance 4 Change program on March 30, 2023.
"It's a fundamental change,"Â inmate Jared Cox said. "It's not a surface level change."
The Chance 4 Change program helps them deal with sobriety. Once a week, Tom Saylor with Goodwill comes in for what they call the "soft skills academy."
"What I've learned about myself is, I've been, my thoughts and actions, incredibly selfish and that's a root cause of a lot of things," Cox said.
Saylor teaches the inmates skills like how to get a job and how to keep a job. He talks about attitude, conflict resolution and how to present yourself.
"How do you practice safety in your everyday life," Saylor said. "Whether you put yourself in a place that isn't or is, that's a choice and so is change, just a simple change."
Nearly 20 Metro Corrections inmates graduated from the Chance 4 Change program on March 30, 2023.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics kept track of prisoners released over a 10 year period. It found 66% of them were arrested again within three years.
There were 82% arrested within 10 years.
"They look at me, if he can do it, I can do it," Saylor said.
Some inmates spoke at the ceremony and said Saylor gave them hope, something they've never had before.Â
He's been on the inside of a cell before and it shows them they can get out and stay out of jail.
"This feels different and I've got so much just for myself to work better for and I gotta be better for me first and then I got people out there that need me, that love me, that depend on me," Cox said. "I know thinking about them, I know this is gonna work out there, I know it is."
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