How often do offenders end up back in jail?
In Elkhart County, corrections officers say that depends on whether they are going through programs at the Elkhart County Corrections Center.
Wednesday, they were celebrating an independent study that shows they are making a big difference.
During a news conference today, Sheriff Brad Rogers said only 17 to 26 percent of inmates that go through their program become repeat offenders compared to 49 percent who do not go through the program.
And he says inmates are often cynical when they start the court ordered program but not when they come out.
"But what we find is that after they've completed the class, most of them are believers in that, 'Yes, they can make a positive change in their life and a lot of it is just in their thought process.'"
Sheriff Rogers says 27-hundred inmates went through the program from 2009 to 2011 and they are excited to get evidence that the programs are really working.
