(MintPress) – A county jail in Georgia is being touted for being the first jail exclusively for inmates who are military veterans. The jail, in Columbus, GA, hopes to cater to veterans’ needs for rehabilitation.
Muscogee County Sheriff John Darr contends that veterans need a program that helps them break the cycle of committing the same offense or crime repeatedly.
“The people in the veteran’s dorm get access to programs that will hopefully be addressing their concerns or needs,” said Darr in a Fox News interview. “When they transition back into the community we don’t have the problem [of recidivism].”
The 16-person dorm gives inmates access to services including addiction programs and depression treatment. All the programs offered to the inmates are volunteer based and are not funded by the government.
Regardless of whether they are housed in the new dorms, veterans will have access to all special programs.
The jail has partnered with New Horizons for mental health counseling as well as Plummer House to discuss housing for homeless and veterans who were previously incarcerated.
Blake Chester, a U.S. Army veteran currently serving time in the jail, struggled with alcoholism and committed repetitive offenses after his return home from the military. He states that the services provided by the jail have helped him in many ways.
“It really gives you that feeling that you’re not pushed aside,” Chester said told the AP. “You haven’t slipped between the cracks and you’re still a part of something. Even if it has been a long time, you’re still a part of something and we all try to really help one another and look after one another.
According to a report, 9 percent of inmates in the United States are military veterans.
Reverend Neil Richardson has worked with the county for years and believes that this practice will become more widely used in the near future.
“We’ve had phone calls from other jurisdictions asking about what they’ve heard about what we’re doing here, “ said Rev. Richardson. “I think you’re going to see this happen more and more in other places.”
Muscogee County jail is 20 minutes from Fort Benning, one of the largest military bases in Georgia.