Community Bradenton Bridge Graduates 82 Just Weeks After Near Shutdown

BRADENTON -- Just 11 weeks after the program was nearly shut down due to cuts in funding, the Bradenton Bridge re-entry program graduated 82 women, who would have otherwise been sent back to prison. ”We are so thrilled at the progress these women have made to turn their lives around and delighted that we’re still here to help them do it,“ said Bridges of America CEO Lori Brown. ”Our goal is to help these women gain the professional and life skills they need to ensure that they never return to prison.“

Commissioner Robin DeSabatino, who championed the program when it was set to be cut, expressed tremendous gratitude for the work being done. "I am so proud of the ladies for their dedication to redirecting their lives, and I am grateful to the Staff and Management for their passion." said Disabatino. "They should be highly commended for motivating the ladies and turning their lives around. Miracles truly happen at Bradenton Bridge!"

Of the 82 women that were recognized at Wednesday's ceremony, three completed their GEDs, 35 completed a computer proficiency course, 14 completed the 1,000-hour American Culinary Federation© Culinary Fundamentals course, 13 completed ServSafe Food Handler Certification, and 17 completed 380 hours of classes in family development, victim awareness, anger management, criminal thinking/thinking errors, addiction education, budgeting, employment re-entry skills.

The Bradenton Bridge began in July 2005 as part of Bridges of America, a non-profit corporation working in partnership with the Florida Department of Corrections to rehabilitate prisoners and reduce recidivism.  The Bridge is an innovative therapeutic community that provides intensive substance abuse counseling and life skills classes so that nonviolent offenders can successfully re-enter society and become productive citizens.

The Bradenton Bridge program serves its participants for approximately 14 percent less than it would cost to incarcerate those same inmates in a regular prison, and with better results – two-thirds of inmates leaving prisons are rearrested within three years, but 90 percent of Bridges graduates remain law-abiding during the same three-year period. The result is increased public safety at a lower cost to the taxpayers. Despite this, the Department of Corrections earlier this year announced plans to shut down the Bradenton Bridge facility until community and legislative support helped keep the program open.

The Bradenton Bridge program works with 120 female inmates to get their lives on track through rigorous educational programs, life skills and drug and alcohol treatment. Statistics have shown that a combination of education and recovery programs during and after release reduces the chance of returning to prison by 30 percent.