MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAM* Refuge behind bars* Program aids inmates who want to change
ROCK SPRING, Ga. – The men walked into an office in Rock Spring, Ga., turned in their driver’s licenses and put their names on the sign-in sheet when the announcement was made:
“Gentlemen, welcome to Walker State Prison, the first faith- and character-based prison in Georgia,” said the corrections officer who would escort them inside.
Georgia inmates at the medium-security prison now can apply to enter a two-year program that some believe will turn them into good people and help them when they stand before a parole board.
The program began in August and about 400 of the 650 prisoners at Walker State will go into it, officials said. The inmates will be screened so only those without past problems in prison can participate. About 250 prisoners in the drug rehabilitation program will not enter the new program.