Capt. Gabe Thomas supervises all operations at the Bradley County jail. It is a huge challenge and he consistently does an excellent job of maintaining a smooth running operation in a potentially volatile environment.

Now Capt. Thomas will soon begin offering a “pre-release handbook” to all inmates in order to help them assimilate back into society. So many recidivists ~ that is, people who are constantly in trouble with the law and are often in and out of jail ~ simply do not have the skills, knowledge or education to adjust to society in a productive and law-abiding manner. Upon their release they drift back into old patterns of poor judgment, bad decisions and criminal behavior. We are fortunate in Bradley County to have many dedicated community agencies and church outreach groups that do their best to break this cycle and help inmates readjust upon their release. The pre-release handbook is another tool in that effort.

The pre-release handbook covers many important “how-to” tips, including applying for a job, preparing for a job interview, what documents might be needed, networking, proper behavior in a job environment, finding a place to live, managing money, living a healthy lifestyle, avoiding harmful habits, encouraging positive relationships and so on.

The handbook also offers great advice on how to obtain copies of important personal documents, such as one’s birth certificate, Social Security card, military discharge papers, driver’s license, photo ID, high school diploma or other educational certifications, occupational or professional license and even how to review one’s criminal record for accuracies.

Additionally, there are personal and philosophical questions designed to encourage an ex-con to look inward and objectively consider their strengths and weaknesses, what type of vocation would best suit their interests and talents, what lessons have been learned from the incarceration experience, and so on.

The handbook goes into much more detail and contains more information than I can cover here. Overall, it is a terrific guide for anyone who has been in trouble with the law or who finds themselves trapped in a cycle of recidivism.

Obviously, no one can force another’s behavior and there are some who simply believe crime is the best way to make a lot of money quickly and with little effort. That is convoluted thinking. I can tell you that anytime a criminal is taken into custody, they will incur fines, legal fees and other penalties that impact them financially. And that’s not even to mention the black mark of jail time that stays on their record.

I am a strong law-and-order supporter who believes in enforcing existing laws which have been passed at the collective will of the people. Criminals who routinely feed off law-abiding citizens deserve jail time. By choosing crime, they forfeit their freedom and lose a great deal of control over their own lives. But inmates who are struggling to do what’s right and become productive members of the community deserve all the help and assistance we can give them.

This pre-release handbook is not the only program we offer at the jail, and it isn’t going to solve all the problems of recidivism, but if it helps even a single inmate get his or her life on the right track, then it will have been worth the effort. My thanks go out to Capt. Thomas and all supervisors and deputies in Corrections for their dedication and good work.