MEMPHIS, Tenn. - Jail isn’t necessarily where repeat offenders say they want to be, but they say somehow or another they end up in trouble.
That is until they are shown what resources are available to offer a life away from crime.
It’s also a place where many have been more than once, or twice, or maybe even three or more times.
Waco Boyd says he can tell you all about his journey in and out of jail.
“I have been to the penal farm a couple times, 201. I even did a federal bid too so,” Boyd said, referring to the Shelby County jail at 201 Poplar Avenue in Downtown Memphis.
Before turning his life around, Boyd said he didn’t know how to get a driver’s license or even apply for a job.
“I never had a job before. I have never been trained for an interview. So I didn’t even know how to dress or talk for things like that,” Boyd said.
Boyd currently is an intern at the Shelby County Office of Re-Entry and is one of many success stories for the office.
Deandre Brown is the Director of the Office of ReEntry who says in 2024 the focus will be on making sure current and former inmates are aware of the resources available to keep them out of jail.
“Our main goal is our FOCUSED program," Brown said. "It is a six-week program where individuals are paid and get the job readiness skills and interact with us. We bring in outside partners. It allows them to understand what it will take for them to be successful in the workforce."
Brown says his goal is to have many more testimonies like Boyd’s from his office in 2024.
“We are actually his first job on this side of freedom. He was in the streets for a long time. He decided he wanted to be different. He’s taken that opportunity and run with it,” Brown said.
Boyd says staying out of jail is easy for him now that he’s got the tools for success.
According to the Tennessee Department of Corrections 2022 stats, recidivism in Shelby County declined between 2006-18. The latest stats show the jail's recidivism rate sits at a little more than 24%.
Learn more here.
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