(Lawrenceville, Ga., July 20, 2010) - Inmates at Gwinnett County's Comprehensive Correctional Complex will continue to get job training and help transitioning back to society thanks to a Workforce Investment Act grant of almost $118,000 from the Atlanta Regional Commission. Gwinnett is the only county in the state that gets these funds for its inmate programs.

"Since 1997, Gwinnett has received more than a million dollars for salaries and the expenses of running this very successful program," said Deputy Warden Darrell Johnson.

"Most of the inmates who participated were gainfully employed during the 12-month period following their release from prison."

Participants get vocational training, job-search skills and workshops aimed at finding employment. More than three-quarters of the participants completed the program and many earned their GED high-school equivalency diploma before being released from custody. Almost all took the Georgia Work Ready test and received certificates.

Ken Rice, WIA Program Coordinator, said, "We prepare inmates for the competitive job market by updating their job search skills and tools and by providing life-skills coaching and motivation. It's the little continuous successes that add up to their major achievements in life."

The Board of Commissioners formally accepted the grant at their July 20 meeting. Chairman Charles Bannister said, "This program has proven its worth over the years by helping integrate inmates back into the community and reducing the number who later return to prison."