Walton County Jail Inmates Graduate From Construction Trade Class
Eight inmates at the Walton County Jail are set to receive diplomas after completing a 160-hour construction trade class, the latest graduating class in a program that has become a national model for reducing recidivism through vocational training.
The class, taught by instructor James “Mack” Bailey through a partnership with Northwest Florida State College, covered carpentry and classroom instruction over the course of the semester. Students built birdhouses, sheds, and dog houses for Walton County Animal Services. The class also constructed an American flag in memory of Deputy Will May, a Walton County sheriff’s deputy killed in the line of duty last year. Bailey said this class was the first in which every enrolled inmate made it to graduation. “This is the first class where all eight have made it through the class,” Bailey told WJHG Newschannel 7.
The program, now in its second year, is part of a broader rehabilitation strategy championed by Walton County Sheriff Michael Adkinson Jr. The Walton County Jail, a 596-bed accredited facility in DeFuniak Springs, runs one of the most robust inmate programming portfolios in the Florida Panhandle — including welding certification, heavy equipment training, literacy programs, and substance abuse treatment, much of it funded through a $2.2 million Triumph Gulf Coast grant. The jail serves all of Walton County, including Freeport, and accepts inmates from surrounding counties seeking access to its training programs.
One graduate, Ian Church, said he has been at the jail since December while battling an addiction, and that the class gave him a new perspective. “I definitely needed to be here. This is where I needed to be — for sure,” Church said. He credited Bailey’s mentorship with making an impact beyond construction skills, saying every day brought something that hit home. Church says he’ll return to a painting business once released. Bailey described his ultimate goal as helping students find their strengths and build discipline, faith, and a path to employment. “The ultimate goal is to let them know that God loves them and to get them a job,” Bailey said.
The construction trade program reflects the Sheriff’s Office philosophy of “Recovery. Not Recidivism.” — a framework that has drawn attention from sheriffs’ offices across Florida seeking to replicate the model. For Freeport residents, the program represents an investment in reducing repeat offenses by equipping inmates with marketable skills before they return to their communities.
Originally reported by WJHG Newschannel 7. Additional reporting from MyPanhandle (WMBB).
Image: WJHG Newschannel 7
