CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — It's believed to be the only program of its kind in the state – one that provides inmates with a state-issued ID before they're released from the county jail.
Nueces County Sheriff J.C. Hooper gave 3NEWS a look inside the county jail to show how it will help prevent inmates from returning to his jail.
The Texas Department of Public Safety teamed up with the sheriff's office to provide inmates with their IDs before their release into the community.
"I will tell you what's gratifying is it's not something I'm doing alone or we're doing alone as a sheriff's office it's very much a collaborative effort," he said.
DPS Sgt. Harold Mallory feels the partnership will yield positive results.
"Honestly we are happy to partner with an agency who wants to work with us. Everything goes a lot better and smoother when we work together in a situation like this," he said.
Natalia Gutierrez, the jail discharge planner, mentioned that this is a valuable tool to assist inmates who would otherwise be released from the jail without any identification.
"This would allow them to get into halfway houses, into a shelter, emergency shelters. It could help them get jobs. It could help them get their benefits," she said.
Hooper said that the program is funded by the inmates themselves.
"I'm using these discretionary funds or commissary proceed money to pay for the inmates ID cards," he said.
Nueces County Jail inmate Oscar Rangel said he is excited about finally obtaining an official ID card.
"What I plan on doing is getting my CDL license. That was the whole purpose of me turning myself in because I would have this lingering over me but it's a goal to get my CDL license," he said.
Hooper said he hopes that the IDs will be effective in keeping inmates out of his jail.
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