second chance written on a road

Not a single inmate or worker at DuPage County Jail in the Chicago suburb of Wheaton, Illinois has tested positive for COVID-19. The county sheriff gives some of the credit for the jail's ability to fend off the pandemic to a program that trains inmates in the art of janitorial work, reports Fox 32.

For two years, the jail has been offering a program that allows inmates to earn certification that they can use to land janitorial work after their release. The jail put more focus on the program when the COVID-19 pandemic began, which helped to keep the jail clean and disinfected over the past several months.

The program has traditionally taught inmates basic cleaning practices and how to operate machinery. During the pandemic it has also taught them about the chemicals approved to kill COVID-19.

In addition to receiving the certification, any inmate that passes the program is given three suits and help landing a job once they are released. The county's sheriff called the program "a true rehabilitation" and said graduates can sometimes earn up to $20 an hour in the jobs they get after being released.