PREP in Perry County to graduate first class on Saturday

The Perry County Probation and Parole Reentry Education Program (PREP) will graduate its first class on Saturday, Feb. 25 at 2 p.m., said an announcement from county commissioner Albert Turner Jr. 

"The PREP Center provides reentry and rehabilitation services for probationers and parolees, encouraging incarceration diversion as a sanction response and an option for justice-involved individuals to receive support services and resolve barriers to successful reintegration," Turner's announcement said.

"The residential facility will serve up to 250 male participants throughout the year, providing plenty of space for rehabilitative programming as the location was initially designed for approximately 700 people."

There are also plans for expansion, namely an educational building to be constructed by Ingram State College for barbering, building construction, HVAC, and plumbing classes. 

Priority areas for service include Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Marengo, Monroe, Perry, Sumter, and Washington counties. 

Turner's announcement said that the center will be beneficial for job growth in the county.

"The center reopening marks a milestone in Perry County," he said. "Creating high-paying jobs available for local citizens is the first in more than ten years. The jobs created by the State will reduce unemployment in the county and increase the per capita income for Perry County."