By Josh Simeone                                                                                           J.Simeone@krdo.com 

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EL PASO COUNTY – A one of a kind program at the El Paso County Jail is making progress to significantly lower the number of repeat offenders.

It’s called “Reintegration and Recovery,” a program that was created within the El Paso County Jail.  Its goal is to give current inmates who have been sentenced for a crime, the tools they need to lead successful lives once they are released.

Sheriff Terry Maketa says two years ago, the rate of repeat offenders, those who were released from jail and then committed another crime to go back in, was between 60-70%.  Over the last two years, the Sheriff’s Office has seen a drop, all the way down to around 21%.

“We’ve seen a reduction in our jail program, we know that it’s directly related to this program,” Sheriff Maketa said.

The program is funded completely on grants with El Paso County Jail Bureau Chief Paula Presley always searching for ways to keep it growing.

“These people come into jail and they don’t have the skills to succeed on the outside,” Presley said.

Life for inmates who are released from jail isn’t easy.  Many have large bills to pay that are related to the crime they committed.  In addition, they are trying to find jobs while they get their lives back on track.  The Sheriff’s Office says many times these recently released inmates commit another crime to go right back into jail.  The result has left the Sheriff with two big problems: jail overcrowding and additional costs.  For taxpayers, repeat offenders resulted in thousands of dollars of costs.

The new program is fighting both of those problems without costing taxpayers any money.

Inmates who are put into the program, about 150 of them currently, go through classes throughout their day and are given homework.  The classes teach everything from managing finances to managing stress – all lessons that go a long way in helping released inmates get their lives back on track.

“When I first got here, I was kind of resistant to the whole idea, because I didn’t think I needed to rehab,” one inmate in the program said.  “I think the program has really been helpful and unique towards us.”

Sheriff Maketa believes the program is changing the criminal justice system, and he envisions opening “Reintegration and Recovery” to the entire El Paso County Jail population in the near future.