Cobb County celebrates graduates of new incarcerated 'Young Fathers' program

COBB COUNTY, Ga. - It was clear 26-year-old Joel Medina was excited to bump elbows with Cobb County jail staff, even though a mask covered much of his face and beard.

With the opposite arm, he grabbed one of three certificates from the "Young Fathers" program manager, as others clapped and cheered for his accomplishments.

The Cobb County Sheriff’s office and Urban league of greater Atlanta have a message for inmates: Incarceration does not mean your life is over.

Medina is one of several inmates who just graduated from that program. The Sheriff's Office says it helps prepare incarcerated fathers for a fresh start. The initiative aims at combating recidivism by ensuring the men have the skills to succeed beyond bars, with jobs and healthy "at home" lives.

Medina's peer, Caleb Leon, says he hopes his graduation from the newly minted program speaks volumes to his daughter.

"It'll help fathers especially because you're young, you don't know everything," Leon said. "It'll help you with being a father--a good father."

"When I came into office, I made a commitment that every inmate would leave this facility better than when they came in."Cobb County Sheriff Craig Owens said.

He told reporters and his colleagues that the new partnership with the Urban League of Greater Atlanta will allow him to keep the commitment he made at the beginning of his term.

A third inmate who finished the program has been released... he, like Medina and Leon, has business aspirations-- putting his past behind him.

"The1 good news about Georgia is we're number one for business for 8 consecutive years," said Nancy Flake Johnson, President at CEO of the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. "The disconnect with Georgia is that we're also one of the highest states for poverty, mass incarceration, and skills gap."

Program organizers say the life skills learned through the jail's program will not only improve the lives of the formerly incarcerated but also but society as a whole.

"A child born in Atlanta has less of a 4% chance of moving out of poverty into the middle class in their lifetime," Flake Johnson said."[The program is] an opportunity here to give currently incarcerated inmates a second chances and help their children so they can be on a different trajectory." 

Another five inmates are expected to start the second round of this program soon. Today’s graduates tell FOX 5's Alex Whittler other inmates have asked them about the program and are interested in participating. 

WATCH: FOX 5 Atlanta live news coverage

_____

Sign up for FOX 5 email alerts

Download the FOX 5 Atlanta app for breaking news and weather alerts.