DANVILLE, Va. (rbs news now) — The largest class of Incarceration Doesn’t Define Us (I.D.D.U.) participants walked the stage during a graduation ceremony in Danville.

A total of 12 participants received their certificates on August 7 after attending weekly training and information sessions on job readiness, housing, education opportunities, budgeting, and more.

A news release said the program, which now boasts 78 graduates from nine cohorts, provides resources and assistance to residents who have recently been released from jail or have faced significant hardships, helping them reintegrate into the community over an eight-week period.

Since the program started in 2021, it has seen numerous success stories, including graduates returning to school for their GEDs, earning college degrees, obtaining commercial driver’s licenses, and even restoring CNA licenses to return to full-time nursing.

City officials presented the I.D.D.U. program at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in 2022, and other law enforcement agencies have since reached out to learn how they can implement similar programs in their jurisdictions.

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