MIAMI COUNTY, Ind. – PLUS, or Purposeful Living Units Serve, assist in rehabilitating and enable offenders to embody the change that the name projects, according to Offender Shron Rucker. Rucker was selected among his peers to give the graduation speech at the recent PLUS graduation. He says I believe we are all tools created to help the next person, place, or thing reach its full potential. Rucker was one of 114 graduates of the program this year. Many were able to participate in the graduation ceremony celebrating there accomplishment of completing the 16-month program.
Miami Correctional Facility is one of the leading facilities in the state when it comes to PLUS program. The PLUS program was named the Program of the Year by the American Correctional Chaplain’s Association in 2009. The program provides an opportunity for offenders to explore and choose alternatives to criminal thinking and behavior through a emphasis on spiritual, moral, and character development, life-skills training, and intentional preparation for living as law-abiding citizens who contribute to the well-being of their community. Other parts of the curriculum include: employment skills and vocations, addiction treatment, responsibility to Right the Wrong, basic life skills, and much more. Each participant is also required to donate 320 hours to community service.
The unit had donated more than $35,000 to local and state charities and donated thousands of hours of community service. Because of the PLUS Program’s success the facility started a second PLUS Graduate Program Unit in K-Unit. The first unit was started in I-Unit, which located next to H-Unit, the current PLUS Unit.