COBB COUNTY, GA — The Cobb County Sheriff’s Office is introducing an innovative equine therapy–style work release program designed to help low-risk detainees transition back into society, and lower Georgia’s recidivism rate.

The program pairs detainees with the county’s mounted patrol unit, where they take on daily responsibilities such as grooming, bathing, and caring for the horses, as well as maintaining the barn.

Major Tony Scipio, who leads the initiative, says the hands-on work teaches accountability and attention to detail. “They also learn accountability and close attention to detail, helping them develop the habits that would translate later into employable skills,” he said.

39-year-old detainee Randal Hembry says the program has already made a difference for him. “It’ll help them return to being a productive member of society, because I was raised that way and I know what it takes,” he said. “I just get caught up in my own mind sometimes and I need to be drug out of it and just really help me get back on my feet.”

Another participant, Josh Harp, says working with the horses has taught him patience. “I have nothing to prove to these horses because they ask nothing of me, they take me as I am,” he said.

Research shows that equine therapy programs for incarcerated individuals can reduce the likelihood of reoffending by as much as 50 percent. Cobb County officials plan to monitor the outcomes of the initiative and may expand it in the future.

Statewide, about 30 percent of inmates in Georgia return to jail within three years, a statistic the Sheriff’s Office hopes this program will help change.

WSB’s Sabrina Cupit contributed to this story