Augusta Tech, Augusta DA partner for Checks Over Stripes Program
AUGUSTA, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - Augusta Technical College, Goodwill, America’s Remanufacturing and the District Attorney’s Office will partner to participate in the Checks over Stripes program, which aims to reduce crime by preventing repeat offenses by young people. It seeks to change lives and transform generations.
It’s one step toward transforming Richmond County’s criminal justice system.
“It’s unfortunate when you see a first-time offender not get the services that they need to prevent them from becoming a career criminal. Every career criminal started off as a first-time offender, and so that’s our best opportunity to help them get on the right path,” said District Attorney Jared Williams.
The program provides a path to lower recidivism rates of young people through employment, education, and career counseling services.
“They’ll be sentenced under the First Offender Act, but they will not be felons. They’ll be first offenders. Through that program, we are able to set special conditions, one of which being that they get a job, which we provide the job for them. Then also they have to finish their education,” said Williams.
That’s where these partnerships come in:
Full-time Employment: Partner with America’s Remanufacturing. Program participants build marketable work experience with a livable wage-earning job. Local business America’s Remanufacturing Company (ARC) has partnered with Checks Over Stripes to hire program participants who require employment. Program participants are regular employees: expected to show up on time and paid fully. Program participants with prior or alternative full-time employment are permitted to keep their positions if preferred and suitable for the program.
Adult Education: Partner with Augusta Technical College. Program participants attend six hours per week of adult education classes offered by Augusta Technical College at no cost to attain high school equivalency and other professional credentialing. Program participants will take an entrance exam to determine their starting level and are expected to make marked improvements.
Career Counseling and Services: Partner with Goodwill Industries. Program participants meet regularly with a career coach to set goals and build a road map to the future, including resume review, online job searching, and financial literacy. A case worker with Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia & the CSRA will regularly check in with program participants to offer and track their progress. Additional life skills workshops are also required.
There is a two-week assessment and once they’re in the program, the focus shifts to getting them educated and getting them a job.
“We’re really there to provide what we call high school equivalency credentials. Many of these individuals do not complete high school. And so we know that that’s a gatekeeper for employment. We really want to ensure that our GED opportunities are presented,” said the President of Augusta Technical College, Dr. Jermaine Whirl.
It’s a step forward of the community say it is much needed.
“There are so many young people that, for one reason or another, find themselves having a brush with the law. And I think this program is a great way to show them that there is hope,” said Augusta NAA President Melvin Ivey.
More about the program:
Candidates for Checks Over Stripes are emerging adults, 17 to 25years old, who are eligible for sentencing under the First Offender Act. Individuals sentenced under the FOA have not been previously convicted of a felony, and their crime is not a serious violent felony or sexual offense.
Candidates for Checks Over Stripes face prison time, but due to their history are likely to have their sentence probated or early paroled. For these candidates, prison discourages growth and leads to trauma, gang involvement, and unemployability. Probation alone is insufficient to set them on a more productive trajectory, as it fails to address the primary deficits that lead to crime and the cycle of incarceration: lack of education, lack of economic productivity, and lack of ecosystemic values.
Checks Over Stripes exists to serve the community by preventing these emerging adults from becoming career criminals. This is done by helping them gain skills, education, and employment experience to re the community with a positive track record and skillset.
If selected, candidates begin by undergoing a two-week assessment period. Candidates are required to attend twenty hours per week of sessions at Goodwill Industries of Middle Georgia & the CSRA. Upon successful completion of the two-week assessment period, candidates are approved as Checks Over Stripes participants. They are sentenced under the First Offender Act with special conditions required to graduate.
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