RCSO holds graduation ceremony at courthouse for inmates

Rabun County Sheriff Chad Nichols shared in the excitement of 10 female inmates currently incarcerated at the Rabun County Detention Center who successfully completed yet another course of Prime For Life.

This time, however, Nichols made it possible for the families of the inmates to be in attendance at their graduation ceremony which was held Monday night at the Rabun County Courthouse.

Nearly 25 assorted family members were in attendance to support their loved one as they were awarded certifications for completing the 20-hour self-motivated evidence-based course taught by Howard Dowdle.

Nichols said a comment made by a male inmate who participated in another offering of Prime For Life a short while back, got him thinking about the idea of making the graduation ceremony something that inmates could share with their loved ones.

“Probably the biggest thing that got me thinking about that was a male in the last class who had said how he wished that his mom could have been there to have seen him get his graduation certificate,” he said.

Shortly after realizing the potential positivity it could have on the inmates, Nichols put his idea into reality.

“So, I thought how much more powerful it could be for the girls to show their family that they completed this drug course,” he said.

Nichols said by offering a more public graduation ceremony, he hopes that it will have a lasting effect on both the family members and the inmates.

“Hopefully it just gives both sides hope and encouragement because the family and the inmate both suffer a lot through drug addiction,” Nichols said. “By offering this, maybe it will allow the families a chance to heal from the hurt they’ve experienced and for the inmates vice versa.”