Four current inmates from the Danville Adult Detention Center graduated from the Incarceration Doesn’t Define Us (I.D.D.U.) program Tuesday, Feb. 4, during a ceremony in the multipurpose room at 1 Community Way.
Malik Khalil Darby, Bryson Marquis Coles, Sharik S Hiett, and Jacolby Starling all received their certificates of completion Tuesday, becoming the first from Adult Detention to graduate from the program.
During the eight-week commitment they participated in training and information sessions about job readiness, housing, education opportunities, budgeting and more. The four graduates also had to maintain the highest standard of institution compliance and reach milestones for Adult Detention to confirm their commitment to the IDDU program.
Darby, Coles, and Hiett also gave testimonies on the IDDU program’s impact for their own lives and the future.
The program now has 90 individuals who have graduated from 11 cohorts.
Director Gene Beasley addressed the graduates and those in attendance, explaining how the IDDU program is the first step of many changes for Adult Detention to help those incarcerated find their way after they are released.
“The Danville Adult Detention Center is committed to change and meeting the needs of our population. We are intent on protecting public safety and ensuring an efficient, transparent, and orderly running of our institution,” said Director Beasley. He continued:
“We are committed to transforming the lives of our offenders by tackling systemic obstacles they endure while incarcerated and upon release through the promotion of a myriad of reentry programs, to include employment and job training, GED courses, and substance abuse and mental health treatment. The Danville Adult Detention Center is diligently implementing new guidelines and strategies to effectuate this change. We look forward to future community engagement and involvement in our endeavors. Our goal is to return offenders back to our community with the necessary tools to be productive members of our society.”
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.