Inmates Study for Second Chance in Community

A group of Bexar County Jail inmates is studying to become more productive when they rejoin the community.

Bexar County Sheriff Susan Pamerleau gave a pep talk to the inaugural class of the Building Bridges to Success Program Thursday.

"Education is a key factor in making sure people are prepared to move into the workforce,” Pamerleau said.

Bexar County has partnered with Alamo College for a 40-hour customer service training class for inmates. In order to take the class, inmates cannot be violent offenders, must go through a GED class and have to pass a reading skills test.

The program already has 140 employers lined up ready to give inmates who graduate from the program a second chance.

"Even though I've made a mistake, it's not something that's going to define the rest of my life,” inmate Ian Cone said.

Pamerleau says the inmates pay for the job training program through a commissary fund.