PALATKA, Fla. – Everyone has a reason to be thankful for something in their lives, but on this Thanksgiving holiday, an inmate who is serving a one-year sentence inside the Putnam County Jail said he’s thankful to be both alive and incarcerated.
With less than 50 days to go, Reynaldo Bryant, 37, is finishing what is left of his one-year sentence inside the Putnam County jail.
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No one wants to be incarcerated during the holiday, but Bryant says he’s thankful for being in a place where he can redirect his life, even if that place is the county jail.
“I’m actually thankful for going through this situation because I turned my life around. I’m doing way better. I stay in the books every day, steadily studying and pushing forward to when I get out and get back into society to rebuild and start over again,” Bryant said.
Bryant is in jail after violating his probation for domestic violence. He admits this is not his first time being incarcerated. He is also open and honest about his violent past and how it paved the way for his current stint behind bars.
“I come from a high murder-rate city – Jacksonville Florida, I come from one of the worst neighborhoods there. It’s been a lot. I’ve been in all kinds of stuff; shootouts. I’ve been in a lot, and I made it out. God has given me another chance and I’m going to take that,” Bryant said.
To help rehabilitate people who have made mistakes that led to them being sentenced to incarceration, the Putnam County Jail administration allows inmates to participate in a food prep program voluntarily.
Inmates can also sign up to participate in a program that allows them to leave the jail during normal business hours and help the county’s sanitation and garbage department. Major Clayton Silva of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office oversees the programs and says all inmates who are approved to work outside the jail are thoroughly vetted.
“These programs not only help taxpayers by reducing recidivism and reducing crime in their county, but it also helps the individual by getting them jobs, and employment skills, and helping them when they return to their families to be productive members,” Silva said.
Bryant says this current sentence in jail has given him time to reflect on decisions he made in the past and what is in store for his future. He currently participates in the two programs.
“I’m on a road crew, so I work in a landfill. I drive all the equipment,” Bryant said.
“By taking this step and having an inmate tell us they are thankful for what we are now offering shows that we are going in the right direction,” Silva said.
There will always be naysayers who will say once a criminal, always a criminal. Bryant was asked what keeps him from getting back into trouble upon his release from jail.
“I feel like it’s time to change. When I get out, totally different rule. Different path,” Bryant said.
Once Bryant is released from prison, it will be up to him to keep his promise of living on a different path.