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Unlock Recovery program and education classes show early results but face capacity limits
Summary
Program staff said Unlock Recovery (started in September) has had three male completions with two early releases, seven current male participants and waiting lists; education and vocational classes (GED, Microsoft, Small Business Entrepreneurship) produced multiple completions but staff said female retention remains low.
Miss Atkinson reported that the jail launched a program called "Unlock Recovery" in September and that "we have 3 males that have completed the program," of whom "2 of them has, received an early release because of completion of the program." She said seven men are currently enrolled and 12 men are on the waiting list. Miss Atkinson added that two men eligible for Vivitrol injections will begin treatment before release.
On education and job skills, Miss Atkinson reported that year-to-date 15 men earned GEDs (with five partial completers), three women earned GEDs (two partial completers) and multiple inmates completed Microsoft certification; Orange Park Adult Ed continues to provide GED and Microsoft instruction and has added a Small Business Entrepreneurship class with 18 men enrolled.
She told the committee the facility struggles to retain women in programs: initial female cohorts often shrink, so staff made the female-oriented "Becoming Unleashed" class mandatory for women participating in Unlock Recovery (six women currently attend). Questions from committee members focused on whether waiting lists are due to paperwork or space limits; Miss Atkinson said evaluations by Clay Behavioral and small room size (class kept near 10) constrain enrollment and that sentenced inmates receive priority.
Committee members requested clearer timelines and capacity notifications to ensure sentencing allows enough time for inmates to complete programs when appropriate.
