VIGO COUNTY, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) — For the past year, the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office has been working with local organizations to help inmates be productive members of society once they are released.
The RISE program stands for reinvest, initiative, to support, and educate.
Sheriff Derek Fell said among the agencies they work with is the Vigo County Health Department. It offers peer support, especially for those who had past addiction issues.
“Teaching them coping mechanisms, to teaching them to modify their behavior, to assist them and make sure they have a job, or employment, or insurance, or a driver’s license when they re-enter our society”, Fell said. “We want them to be productive members of our community. It’s probably going to take a couple of years to really see the full impact, but there’s definitely been a lot of participation from those incarcerated into the programs. From all accounts, they seem to be gaining something from the program.”
According to the Vigo County Sheriff’s Office, there are currently 116 participants in the MRT program, 75 in the change program, and 72 seeking safety.
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