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News From 91.3 KUWS
State may pay for inmate education in Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas County jails
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Story posted Thursday at 5:21 p.m. 2/28/2008 |
Douglas, Ashland and Bayfield Counties are hoping to keep their communities safe by investing more in those people behind bars. Danielle Kaeding reports from Madison.
Superior Days delegates proposed establishing a pilot program to provide vocational training for the counties’ inmates. Bayfield County UW-Extension Agent Tim Kane says it’s a no brainer. “If an inmate doesn’t have any job skills or any employability skills and after they serve their 90-day sentence or whatever the length of their service is, what’s the probability they’re going to re-offend if they don‘t have a way to make a living? It’s kind of common sense. If you don’t have employment skills, and you can’t get a job--what’s the alternative?” Kane says allowing training for inmates expands on efforts they’re already making. “Right now, we have a variety of programs in the Bayfield County Jail. Most of them relate to substance abuse and other thinking skills and alcohol and drug abuse, but there are some programs that are used in some of our jails--not in Bayfield County specifically--that provide kind of vocational….We have the GED people learn and get whatever kind of training they need to pass their general education certificates--those kinds of things.” Department of Corrections Assistant Administrator Bill Grosshans says there may be money available from the Office of Justice Assistance to pay for the program. “We have a number of other offenders in your jail be they DIA inmates and/or some of the probation or parole people that are there on holds. We do have possibly some funding in re-entry money and/or in our community crutches employment program funding that we might be able to bring to bare to work together.” The pilot program would provide training for inmates in Douglas, Ashland and Bayfield Counties.
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