August 14 marked the launch of a new program at the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility (SPHIDF) that offers a fresh start in life after incarceration. Sheriff Rick Staly joined Daniel Engert, FCSO Chief of Court and Detention Services, and Cathleen Relyea, Offender Programs and Services Supervisor, in introducing the 2nd Opportunity Re-entry Program to the SPHIDF inmates.
The 2nd Opportunity Re-entry Program consists of five video-based courses, available in both English and Spanish, that teach job readiness, life skills, personal finance, goal setting, career pathways and specifically addresses common barriers to re-entry. Upon completion of each course, students receive a certificate of achievement, validating their commitment and mastery of essential knowledge.
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Now offered in 24 states and 17 Florida counties, its focus is on helping people move on from their past stumbles and turn a new chapter in their lives by providing courses, resources, and support rooted from the team’s lived experience.
Chief Engert was inspired to bring 2nd Opportunity to the SPHIDF after meeting Augie Ghilarducci, co-founder of the program, at a conference. He found Ghilarducci’s story to be compelling and felt that the program’s peer-to-peer learning format would have a positive impact on the inmates.
According to Relyea, the program will be offered to all inmates, as long as they are not in disciplinary status.
All the courses can be completed in a total of 20-24 hours and will be offered once a week in two 1-hour blocks, one for males and one for females. The self-paced courses can all be completed online, but Relyea will help facilitate for those inmates that may need a one-on-one or group learning environment to better understand the material. Students can continue taking the program courses even after release. The program is funded by the Inmate Welfare Fund and will not cost any money to the taxpayers.
“The FCSO is proud to be a partner facility of 2nd Opportunity so that our inmate population is better prepared after leaving the Green Roof Inn,” said Sheriff Staly.
While speaking with inmates during the launch of this new program, Sheriff Staly shared his thoughts with them: “When I became Sheriff, there was nothing here for the inmates. Today, we give you the tools and opportunity to turn your life around. To be successful, you probably have to change your environment and your relationships and friends. What I don’t want is for inmates to commit a crime again and come back here, so don’t go back to the same environment that got you here. Those people are not really your friends.”
Along with 2nd Opportunity, Sheriff Staly encouraged them to take advantage of the various job-readiness and pre-apprenticeship programs offered at the SPHIDF, including the HVAC, Culinary, and Vinyl Graphics Applications programs, electrical and other educational and technical training offered through Homeward Bound, in partnership with Flagler Technical College. “Make lemonade out of lemons, and live a changed life. The opportunities in this country are there for you if you apply yourself and work hard,” added Sheriff Staly.
For more information, visit https://www.2ndopp.com/
Andy Montgomery says
Fantastic programs to rebuild lives. As a community, we should be proud of efforts to help rather than punish those who life has broken.
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R.S. says
Although the jail population is a bit too numerously Black [27% Black inmates although the county has only 9.16% Black population], I believe that the Sheriff is doing an outstanding job in leading inmates toward rehabilitation. If only employers were to be a bit more lenient in permitting people second chances, we might begin to do some good toward reintegration of formerly incarcerated people. Particularly governmental agencies should drop the box that identifies formerly incarcerated individuals.
Gate Keepers says
Interesting stats. Did you ever notice on the Sheriffs daily arrest log, that whenever they have a high number of Caucasian DAILY arrest in the county, somehow they find a way of rounding up all the black and Hispanic probation/supervised violators re-arresting them in-turn either overshadowing those stats or equaling them?
Sue says
What a great idea along with other job focus.Sheriff Staly is great for our area.
Skibum says
I’m glad Sheriff Staly said what he did at the end of this article. The biggest stumbling block for the vast many of those who are released from our jails and prisons is what in reality is their comfort zone. And that is and always has been going back to their same living environments and hanging out with the same friends and associates that were bad influences in the first place. You can have all of the classes and resources in the world available to those who are incarcerated, and I know from first-hand experience that most of the time people in jail will readily say they are NEVER coming back once released because their primary motivation at the point is to get out. But if, upon release, that same person loses their aforementioned desire to change their life and they do not make good choices about the type of individuals they surround themselves with, it will inevitably be all for naught and they most likely will go down the same path as before and end up behind bars again. There are also those who try to manipulate the system while incarcerated, thinking if they take all of the classes available and appear to be willing to change their lifestyle, they can try to get a judge to release them early when they do not have any desire at all to change their ways and just want to get out so they can continue their criminal lifestyle. We in law enforcement called those types “job security” LOL.
Joe D says
Seems like a great start for the community! People are not BORN CRIMINALS (although drug exposure while the mother was pregnant and SOME developmental disabilities can start the child out with SIGNIFICANT HANDICAPS).
I hope this program includes FORMAL counseling (early childhood trauma, deprivation, and caretaker abuse, can set the seeds for later legal involvement). I applaud the job readiness and training included.
I also agree that going back in the same environment where the legal entanglements began is a bad idea ( it can trigger past temptations and lead to yet again a re-arrest). However frequently there is no where else to go!
I’m not seeing much in the way of halfway house programs mentioned in resources of Flagler County, but I’ve only been involved with the area for 5 years, so I’m a bit new at the available services.
If we don’t take steps to break the cycle of “recidivism, we are going to be spending $100’s of thousands of dollars to detain and essentially HOUSE repeat offenders, to LITTLE BENEFIT to the Community.