NEWPORT, Tenn. — In February, a group of ten men graduated from a substance abuse recovery program that they started in prison. It's called the Tennessee Jail Chemical Addiction Program, also known as TNJCAP or JCAP.
Cocke County Jail is the first in Tennessee to start using it. The program helps inmates at risk of abusing various substances form healthy habits both inside and out of jail. Over the course of around 9 months, inmates learn how to transition back into society and live a sustainable life after spending time in prison.
"You're told when you can do this, when you can do that — you have no freedom," said Joseph Barret, a graduate of the program. "Jail is not the place to be."
He said he was arrested up to 40 times for drug-related charges. He said first started using illegal drugs in high school and over time started to take more harmful drugs, eventually starting to sell them.
"I want all the people, if I harmed you, to forgive me," he said.
After going through JCAP, he said he has been out of jail for around 3 months. During that time, he said he stuck to his word and stayed clean. He is making his way through the second phase of the program, living in a Newport home with other graduates from the program, all under supervision.
He said it's easier for him to stay sober together with other people who went through the same program than it would be to try and recover alone. He also said he found strength in music and bought a guitar right after leaving prison.
"To see them smile, it makes me smile," said Dan Williams, the JCAP coordinator at Cocke County Jail. "To help these guys remember who they are, to remember they can be happy."
Out of 30 men who have gone through JCAP, only three reportedly relapsed. Each man living in Newport has full-time jobs and will officially regain their freedom in June.