GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — Gwinnett County Sheriff Keybo Taylor is expanding a program to help inmates find resources and job training while incarcerated in an attempt to reduce the number of repeat offenders.
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Sheriff Taylor says he believes most of the people who serve time in jail would love to never come back.
“If they’ve got jobs, opportunities, it decreases the likelihood of them returning,” Taylor told Channel 2 Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Matt Johnson .
It’s why he says it’s a priority to expand a program that gives inmates opportunities to find work while they’re incarcerated.
“For 95% to 98%t of people behind bars, you’re looking for some kind of positive thing, tangible thing you can latch onto,” said Chief Dep. Cleo Atwater.
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The Gwinnett Re-entry Intervention Program or GRIP is more than tripling the number of people who can be a part of it.
The sheriff’s office says GRIP now has room for up to 230 people.
They will get access to housing assistance and job training for careers including, landscaping and pet handling.
“It allows them to be more marketable, more employable when they get out,” said Atwater.
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The expansion launched this month with the goal of reducing the number of repeat offenders in the Gwinnett County jail.
Authorities say they don’t believe this is a handout but instead a ‘hand up’ that he believes will lead to a safer community.
“We’re dedicated to empowering these individuals,” said Taylor.
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