LAPLACE — The St. John Sheriff’s Office presented the fourth class for its Opportunity Now Re-Entry Program for inmates during a graduation ceremony May 26 at the Sherman Walker Correctional Facility in LaPlace.

Sheriff Mike Tregre said the graduation milestone marked the first steps to second chances for these men.

The SJSO’s Opportunity Now re-entry program is a group effort between the St. John Sheriff’s Office, Louisiana Workforce Commission, Louisiana Rehabilitation Services and Louisiana Department of Corrections that provides work readiness, job placement and other self-sufficiency services to qualified inmates, Opportunity Now director Joe Lewis said.

Assistant Wardens Gordon Jeffcoat and Lawrence Joseph joined Lewis in congratulating the six men for their accomplishments in the program and encouraged them to stay on the right path.

“I’m proud of these men for making it through this program,” Jeffcoat said. “I hope to see them out in the community … doing good things … and hearing about them being productive members of society.”

Re-Entry participants are required to complete three months of intensive work readiness and life skills training. The courses are designed to help inmates make better choices and to cope with a variety of issues they may face upon re-entering society.

Job placement and case management services are also mandated aspects of the SJBSO Opportunity Now Re-entry Program.