Davidson County Sheriff’s Office receives $800K grant for inmate education

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – Nashville-Davidson County Sheriff Daron Hall announced Wednesday the sheriff’s office is receiving a state education grant to help set inmates up for success post-incarceration.

The Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development grant, valued at $800,000, will span four years and fund three positions, including instructors and a student liaison.

Additionally, it will provide laptops and other equipment necessary for improved virtual courses and, ultimately, educational success for inmates, according to a media release.

“We have spent years building a foundation of helping inmates be better upon release than when they first came to jail,” Hall said in the release. “Many have never accomplished any goal or had any belief they could. Ensuring individuals have a high school equivalency diploma, in conjunction with other technological and vocational skills, gives them confidence they can achieve an improved quality of life once on the outside of a correctional institution.”

Hall said providing opportunities for those incarcerated has always been an important aspect of sheriff’s office programming. Integrated Education and Training (IET) is a model combining occupational skills training with adult education to increase both educational and career advancement for inmates, the release said. The program teaches computer skills, an entrepreneurial training series, parenting courses, and basic work skills, among others.

“Today, we average approximately 350 monthly participants in these education/training courses and have set a goal of increasing participants by nearly 50 percent.” Hall said in the release. “Our staff is dedicated to arresting the problem and this is another step in that direction.”

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