On Wednesday, Oct. 23, the tenth class of Incarceration Doesn’t Define Us (I.D.D.U.) graduates walked across the stage during a ceremony in the multipurpose room at 1 Community Way to receive their certificates of program completion.

Seven participants in the tenth I.D.D.U. class received a certificate of completion following their eight-week commitment to attendance for weekly training and information sessions about job readiness, housing, education opportunities, budgeting and more.

Wednesday’s IDDU graduates were Michele Tuttle, Rondell Wright, Heather Massey, Cynthia C. Cole, James Wesley Jones, Michael Hill, and Fontaine Shepard.

Giving testimonies about their lives, class experience, and what got them to graduating from the program were Tuttle, Wright, and Jones.

The program now has 86 individuals who have graduated from ten cohorts.

Deputy Chief Tim Jones delivered a message of encouragement for the future to the graduates and those in attendance.

I.D.D.U. provides resources and assistance to residents who have recently been released from jail or have experienced hardship ease back into the community over an eight-week period.

Since the program’s inception in 2021, Community Relations Liaison Ashtyn Foddrell remains committed to being a reference and resource for all the I.D.D.U. graduates.

The successes of the I.D.D.U. program have been overwhelming, as Foddrell pointed out, because there have been graduates who have returned to school to receive their GED, earn a college degree, and received a commercial driver’s license. Another graduate has also had their CNA license restored to return to nursing full time.

Foddrell was invited to present the I.D.D.U. program at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police Conference in 2022. In addition, other law enforcement agencies have reached out to her to learn how they can implement a similar I.D.D.U. program in their jurisdiction.