“Getting Ahead while you Get Out” helps inmates

A population count at the Corrections Center of Northwest Ohio shows 94 percent occupancy rate. 602 inmates are housed in rural Stryker. A report by CCNO Executive Director Jim Dennis said each of the area jurisdictions also have high numbers, and that Lucas County went over its allotted number of beds.
Lucas County Commissioner Pete Gerken said his county used an additional 377 beds during one month.
A new program to help reduce jail usage and help those inmates being released has recently received more funding to continue their program. It’s called “Getting Ahead While Getting Out.”
Commissioner Gerken said the Getting Ahead program addresses re-entry to the community, encourages inmates who are in the program to discover for themselves why they are in jail, how they can stay out and finding community resources available. He said the first 72 hours are critical and, when a person is released, a mentor will assist them when getting off the bus.
The first Getting Ahead program involving 21 classes that were funded by Toledo Municipal Court judges, said Commissioner Gerken. It is only one of three such programs being offered in the country.