Jail begins new 16-week program that offers 90-day jail credit to inmates

July 8, 2019 | 3:23 am

Updated July 7, 2019 | 11:08 pm

Photo courtesy of Daviess County Detention Center

Thanks to Pastor Garswa Matally, founder of Genesis Reentry Skills Inc., Daviess County Detention Center will be expanding their “Portal-New Direction” program, which prepares inmates for re-introduction into the community. Inmates who signed up to participate will learn organizational and parenting skills, digital literacy skills, and will receive guidance about challenges they may face while returning to the community.

According to DCDC Jailer Art Maglinger, the program also serves as an incentive for the 25 male inmates participating. Matally will host 90-minute sessions over a 16-week period and, if the inmates complete the entire course, they will receive 90 days time-served credit, resulting in a 3-month lesser sentence.

“They get a benefit for participating. Some of them are facing a lot of time — hefty sentences,” Maglinger said.

Maglinger said Matally’s willingness to run this program relieves a burden on the jail as they currently offer many programs for inmates that can be “taxing” on jail staff due to security and scheduling policies.

DCDC Chief Deputy Major Jack Jones and Program Coordinator Deputy Lacy Denson helped coordinate this program for the inmates, though Matally will oversee it, Maglinger said.

A similar program was run years before Maglinger started his tenure at DCDC, but it focused primarily on substance abuse. Magliner said he’s happy to bring the program back in the hopes it can prepare inmates for their lives outside of jail.

“We have 750 inmates, and it’s just men in this program,” he said. “These are classified inmates–they’ve gone to the Department of Corrections and become state inmates after they’ve gone to trial and have been convicted of their crimes. If they meet classifications, meaning they’re a C or D felon, they can be held at our jail.”

While Maglinger hopes the program can give the inmates some resources and tools to use for their future, he believes most are probably attending the program for the 90-day jail credit.

“Major Jones said that we want more for the inmates than some of them want for themselves,” Maglinger said. “From our experiences, I would say that is sometimes true.”

July 8, 2019 | 3:23 am

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