This video illustrates the Re-Entry Success Story of Jason Carr, a previously incarcerated individual with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department. Through the Common Ground Institute (CGI), a vocational and skills based program at the SCSD House of Corrections, Carr found his passion for construction while incarcerated and turned his life around. With assistance from the Sheriff’s Department Workforce Development Program Manager, upon his release from the South Bay House of Corrections, he was employed by Raycon Construction and rose through the ranks as a Crew Chief. The Common Ground Institute is designed to assist incarcerated individuals with a successful transition to their community once they are released which means less crime, victims and financial burdens related to the criminal justice system. CGI is but one example of the role in which vocational programming plays in recidivism and enhancing public safety. Jason’s story is just one of many that came through the Sheriff’s Department. What he has done should become the norm and not the exception. Sheriff Tompkins and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department strive to assist as many Jason Carr’s as we can by offering over 80 different programs from urban farming, printing, culinary arts, custodial arts, and more. “If you know of an individual incarcerated at the South Bay House of Correction, ask them to sign up and take the programming that is offered to them,” stated Sheriff Tompkins.