The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office is embarking on a new venture called the “Second Chance” program that is designed to help inmates looking for work upon their release from jail.
Sheriff Rich Kelly said the goal is to offer job interviews inside the facility, or have a scheduled interview upon release, to establish employment opportunities once he or she has fulfilled his or her sentence with the hope to place every offender with employment and to assist them in getting a new start. So far, Kelly said they have five businesses interested and four people have been given jobs.
“We have the only program like this in Clinton County,” said Kelly at a Monday press conference. “We reached out to several local businesses. But, a lot of companies just want to do things online. So we have used word of mouth and reached out to the county. There are no parameters and we don’t deny anybody.”
Kelly said he and his staff brainstormed the idea for several months before finally coming up with the program that they kicked off on the Fourth of July.
“We want everybody here to have the opportunity to work into an employment opportunity,” said Kelly. “We want to be working with 25 to 30 employers in the next five years.”
Kelly said for the most part it is very difficult for the inmates to get out of the environment they were in which got them behind bars.
“A lot of times it’s the only place they’ve got to go,” said Kelly.
Kelly added he believes inmates are ready for a change after incarceration.
“I think it is a goal of every inmate here to get back into society and get back to work,” he said.
Kelly was asked how it feels to be a trailblazer.
“I feel good and it’s great to have the staff I have with Chief Deputy (Todd) Lappin and my wife, Ashley (Kelly) as the Jail Matron,” he said. “They just go out of their way to try and make this happen. We’ve got great cooperation with our Jail Commander Rick Morgan. He’s been a part of the decisions, findings and doings. It’s fantastic to have the group we’ve got.”