NEWPORT, Tenn. — According to the Cocke County Jail and Detention Center, jailers are seeing an increasing number of offenders. They said the rate of those returning to jail after being released, or the recidivism rate, is 90% in Cocke County.
That means nine out of ten Cocke County inmates will likely re-offend after they are released from jail. Former offenders are taking part in a Tennessee program working to change that through drug rehabilitation and education.
The Tennessee Jail Chemical Addiction Program is a nonprofit organization that partners with counties in Tennessee to provide evidence-based substance abuse treatment inside the jail.
Blake Shults graduated from both phase one and phase two of the JCAP program. Now he's preparing for his final graduation, which means he will leave the post-jail men's home in Cocke County.
"Nine months, I couldn't have even stood still long enough to have appreciated all this," he said. "It feels like I'm going in the right direction."
A few months ago his view was much different. He said he faced substance abuse issues and eventually ended up behind bars.
"When I first got introduced into the jail cell, into that part, I was really sick from detoxing off drugs. I laid in bed for about three weeks," Shults said.
Before he was incarcerated, Shults said he faced a traumatizing divorce. He said it sparked his drug use. He said drugs were far too easy to find in Cocke County.
"Just a quick trip to the gas station," he said. "I've had plenty of friends that tried to get sober and most of them are dead."
That, he said, is a dark place for someone with a drug addiction.
"Just like this impending doom coming over you. You know it may not hit you yet, but you know it's coming. Just dealing with that on a day-to-day basis it's overwhelming. There's no peace," Shults said.
But from his bunk, Shults said, he could hear the sound of hope. He said he heard laughter and joy coming from the JCAP learning room.
"It was just unreal how happy these they were and I was like, 'I want that. Whatever they're doing, sign me up for that,'" he said.
Now, he is preparing to graduate from the program and move forward in a life that's fully his own.
"They'll help you along your way but at some point, you've got to stand on your own," Shults said.
As Shults prepares to stand on his own, he will leave phase two with a big goal.
"To be somebody my parents would be proud of," he said. "I'm most proud of getting to church with my mom on Sundays."
JCAP Coordinator Dan Williams has made it his life goal to help these men overcome addiction.
"For him to be happy I think is the key to his success, so that's what I would hope for him. That's he has his own family and that he's happy one day," Williams said.
Since its launch in 2021, Tennessee JCAP has seen an 88% success rate in Cocke County. Williams said he wants that number to continue to climb.
"We don't ask anybody to be perfect to get through the program or to make it — just to be progressing every day," Williams said. "We have a good number of success stories in that manor too,"
JCAP will hold its seventh program graduation in May. To find out how you can get involved or donate your time, follow TNJCAP's social media.