Commissioner: Homer Bryson

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Teaching offenders life lessons  

FORSYTH, GA – A new program has been in full swing, since July 15, 2015, at Autry State Prison in the facility’s Faith and Character Based dorm. SALT (Seven Areas of Life Training) is a 28-week program that teaches offenders lessons in seven distinct areas of life.

“Offering our offenders the opportunity to work on their personal development within our system is greatly beneficial to their reentry,” said Commissioner Bryson. “We are grateful for our partnership with Dr. David Hatch, and thank him for his contribution to the lives of these offenders.”

The 40 offenders, who enrolled in this class in July 2015, are the first to participate in this program. Within this program, participants receive lessons on seven areas of life to include: spiritual, psychological, social, physical, financial, marital, and parental. These areas of life are divided into three to five lessons that challenge participants to rethink their stance on each life area. The goal for the participants is to become better disciplined in a manner that will be beneficial to themselves, their families and their communities. This inaugural class is scheduled to complete the program in May 2016.

Dr. David Hatch, CCA, Georgia/Florida Director of Prison Fellowship, teaches the program. “I love being with the mend in their dorm and appreciate the opportunity to teach them life lessons that they can use to make their lives and their family’s lives better,” said Dr. Hatch. “I am excited to be a part of the Faith and Character Based program at Autry State Prison.”

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.