WAMPSVILLE — Madison County’s Sheriff’s Department and the Madison-Oneida Board of Cooperative Educational Services are working to improve the lives of inmates incarcerated in the Madison County Public Safety Building.

BOCES is offering several course dealing with issues ranging from legal education to driving education to the Test Assessing Secondary Completion program. Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley and educator Elaine T. Vuong agree that inmates are benefiting from the programs. Having a job, and a purpose, helps keep inmates from returning to jail.

“This program is helping reduce the recidivism rate. It also helps the inmates take pride in having accomplished something,” Riley said.

Vuong has served as case manager and program director since December. Madison County’s Board of Supervisors recently approved support of the program through February 2018. The county will pay BOCES $44,475 to run the programs. Riley said the program has been run for a number of years before he became sheriff.

During the 2016-17 calendar year 37 inmates enrolled in TASC classes and 13 of them passed the test. Another 14 inmates under the age of 21 enrolled in the Incarcerated Youth Education Program, with seven passing the test for their high school equivalency test. One inmate returned to high school after his release.

“I have also helped four inmates, so far, in applying to college following their release from the facility,” Vuong said.

The public safety building also houses a law library, from which Vuong helps inmates study law and understand the aspects of their case.

“I am not allowed to give legal advice, but I help them understand their rights and speed up the appeals process,” Vuong said.

Different classes are scheduled throughout the week and they are well-attended. Among the more popular is a class that helps inmates receive their driver’s license.

“Some of these inmates have had their licenses suspended or revoked because they have not paid child support,” Riley said. “Having a license means having a way to work, and that’s essential in keeping a job.”

The county offers inmates drug education classes and also help for their addictions. “The amount of drug-related incarcerations are rising,” Riley said. “We have a psychiatrist visit twice a week to help inmates understand their issues. We are seeing more people use drugs as a way to mask their problems.”

For the two-and-a-half month period of January to March 2015 the total number of controlled substance arrests in Madison County were double the years from 2010 to 2014 and three times the number of arrests in 2009.

The highest percentage of controlled substance arrests, 38 percent, are in the 18-24-year-old age group.

Riley said his department also helps inmates upon their release. “We release them at nine in the morning. When we do this we let them know where to go to get medications or find a job. We want to give them a head start back into society.”