DALLAS (AP) _ About 150 former inmates have graduated from a program at a Dallas megachuch designed to increase their odds of succeeding after prison.
Those receiving diplomas during a Sunday ceremony at The Potter’s House join 1,000 men and women who have completed the 12-month Texas Offenders Re-entry Initiative since 2005. Participants get help with job searches, housing, financial literacy and substance-abuse counseling.
The initiative’s executive director, Tina Naidoo, says the offenders have paid for their crimes and deserve another chance.
Nearly one-third of former Texas inmates return to prison within three years, according to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.