The Saratoga County Jail is opening new doors for inmates struggling with addiction. Officials say about 80 percent of the nearly 200 inmates in the jail are there because of drugs.

It's a problem Ben Deeb struggled with himself.

"So many people are suffering in this cycle of getting incarcerated, getting released with nothing in place, and going back," Deeb said.

He spent eight years behind bars before he had a wakeup call.

"That moment was when I buried nine of my friends to overdose. I was sitting on my bed and my son walked by, and I realized that this was not what I wanted to do with my life," Deeb said.

Some of those suffering are veterans, who will also be housed in the same unit. Lieutenant Ray Rodriguez helped create the program. As a U.S. Marine, he knows best how to help his brothers.

"My mindset is to never leave a fallen comrade, and these are fallen comrades," Rodriguez said.

Deeb will now work as a recovery peer advocate in the jail, helping those who are struggling the same way he did. He will meet with inmates, providing resources and connections for rehabilitation.

"This is this missing link to what's needed," adds Deeb.

The wing of the jail was renovated into a 31-bed facility. They say the goal for it is simple: recovery.

They hope to prevent any more time behind a closed cell door.

"My hope that we change a lot of lives. We give kids back parents, moms back sons, and they go out and help," said Deeb.

The wing will soon be filled with inmates on the road to recovery. They expected to moved into their new housing units in the next two weeks.