DANVILLE, Va. – Women behind bars in the Danville City Jail now have a new way to prepare for life after jail.
"We're certainly cognizant of the fact that, from the sheriff's office's perspective, we've got to do something to try to prevent these people from coming back. They're going to get out and reconnect with their families, so if we can arm them with the skills to be better parents, I think that's a great thing we can do," Danville Sheriff Mike Mondul said.
Mondul announced Tuesday that starting in September a parenting class will be available for female inmates.
"It's a structured course that has an agenda. It's not automatic. It's hard work. Parenting is one of the most important things we have to do," Mondul emphasized."
The jail already offers a similar class for male inmates.
Gary Pritchett is a prevention program manager with Danville Pittsylvania Community Services, which offers the class.
The success of the men encouraged the organization to start helping female inmates as well.
"Things like contracting with their children, setting limits, power struggles, things of that nature," Pritchett said, describing what the class will teach female inmates.
Inmates who take the class will meet for two hours on Friday afternoons for eight weeks.
"One of the reasons why we spread out the time between classes is because we actually want people to think about it," Pritchett said.
The plan is to offer the class three times a year and target inmates who are scheduled to be released within a year of the start of the class so that the information the inmates learn will hopefully be fresh in their minds when they're released.