PULASKI, Tenn. (WTVF) — Landing a good-paying job isn’t easy for anyone.
However, for people who've served time in jail, it can be almost impossible.
A new program at the Giles County Jail in Pulaski is hoping to set some inmates up for a better life when they get out by teaching them hazmat cleanup skills.
Matt Church with Ozone Environmental Services approached the Giles County Sheriff's Office with the idea to offer the training to some people serving time for nonviolent crimes.
"My business partner and I created this program to change the mindset about people that are being released from being incarcerated," said Matt Church, regional director for Ozone Environmental Services.
Students received 40 hours of instruction to help get them certified for the job with a starting pay of $25 an hour.
"They learned clean-up procedures, containment procedures, and disposal procedures for hazmat spills," Church said.
Jermaine Reedus is part of this first class for the training.
"We were especially hand-picked by the sheriff," said Reedus, who served about 270 days in the Giles County Jail.
The participants in the class are expected to get out of jail within the next three months.
Except for Reedus, who finished serving time during the class, but went back to the jail to finish out the training with his classmates and teachers.
"Having an opportunity to be able to work with these guys is a real it's a real big game changer for me," Reedus said.
I spoke to Giles County Sheriff Joe Purvis.
He explained the process for choosing people to take part in the training.
“They were chosen based on the charges. They’re nonviolent offenders. Their history here at the jail has had no disciplinary problems,” said Giles County Sheriff Joe Purvis.
According to Church, giving people an opportunity to get a good-paying job once they’re out of jail can help break the chain of incarceration.
"These guys, several are repeat offenders, and they said, this is the first time they've ever felt that they're going to make it when they get out," Church said.
Church is hoping to expand this training program to other jails across Middle Tennessee.
The teachers for the training are volunteers, and the program comes at no cost to taxpayers.
Ozone Environmental Services has another class planned for the Giles County Jail for women inmates.
This story was reported on-air by reporter Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Coles verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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