Inmates with substance abuse problems getting help in Manatee jail's new recovery unit

MANATEE -- Darryl Morgan has been arrested dozens of times and has been in and out of the prison for the past 30 years.

For that long he has struggled with an addiction to cocaine, racking up possession and dealing charges along the way.

Last week, Morgan, 52, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his most recent conviction: selling cocaine.

Now, thanks to a new recovery program created by the Manatee County Sheriff's Office at its jail, Morgan finally has hope.

"After sentencing I had the opportunity to stay in the recovery pod because I thought it was best, no matter the journey, because I still want to get everything out of it," Morgan said. "The bad part on my behalf ... it's 10 years too late. When you get a certain age, society gets to the point where they kind of throw you to the dogs."

Despite thinking society and the system look at him as being at an age where "recovery isn't going to do him any good," he knows he has another chance and that he will get out of prison.

Fifty-one inmates are now housed at the newly created Alcohol and Drug Recovery Pod at the Manatee County jail, where the daily rigor includes a faith-based ministry, an intense schedule of recovery meetings and classes in life skills, anger management, employment training and parenting.

"If a person doesn't make it with all that is given to us, they simply choose not to," Morgan said.

Morgan remembers his early visits to the Manatee County jail and how the jail has grown to house the 1,064 inmates there as of Thursday morning.

"Through the bad choices, it hasn't stopped my coming in and out," Morgan said. "If this was here right, nine years ago, I would go on the line and say that my life would be different."

But now that he looks toward the years

ahead of him in prison, he hopes to act as a mentor to minister to others.

"Fellowship, I have learned, is one of the most important things in recovery," Morgan said. "I am going to take this to the other gates and when I get prepared to leave that system, I am going to already have it in sketched in me."

Lt. Yvonne Ingersoll has been the driving force since willingly taken the reins of the program, according to Sheriff Brad Steube. The recovery pod, which is housed in a building that has been repurposed over the years to serve the jail's needs, officially got its start Feb. 1.

"We are pushing for the program here at the Manatee County Sheriff's Office because our alcohol and drug addictions have touched most of our lives, mine as well, and we want to try to reduce the rate of recidivism and save lives," Ingersoll said. "If we can give them the tools that they need when they get out, I think it would benefit them and the community as a whole."

Supervisors at the jail went to each squad at the jail, and asked deputies if they wanted to be involved and to get feedback on the program.

"We felt that if they didn't believe in what we were trying to promote here it would be counter-productive, so that's why we selected deputies specifically to work in this pod," Ingersoll said.

The program was made possible thanks to a partnership with the Salvation Army. Every day more than 100 volunteers work with those housed in the recovery pod.

"I am so excited about the recovery pods being here in Manatee County," said Major Dwayne Durham, the Salvation Army's regional coordinator in Bradenton. "Everybody at the sheriff's office has embraced this."

Inmates have to volunteer to participate in the program.

"Once they are in, everything is mandatory," Ingersoll said. "They can't opt out of a meeting. They can't choose not to go to a class. A hundred percent participation is expected of them."

The goal of the program is for inmates to participate for 30 to 90 days. Currently, the first group in the pod has been there for about 60 days.

Feedback from those participating has been great, Ingersoll said.

"They love the program, it's very rigid," she said. "Some of them don't expect to have their day filled with meetings and classes but the receptions from the inmates and community has been very positive."

The sheriff's office has also received positive feedback from some of the relatives of those in the programs and members of the community.

The inmates in the program, have come to understand that those who work in the rehab pod care and are there to help them. And it doesn't end when they walk out the door.

"Keep the faith. Take the tools you have learned and apply them daily," Ingersoll urges those who move on after completing the program. "We also give them our information. If you have a problem, call myself, call someone from the Salvation Army and call your sponsor."

Jessica De Leon, Herald law enforcement reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7049. You can follow her on Twitter @JDeLeon1012.

This story was originally published April 28, 2016 at 11:24 PM with the headline "Inmates with substance abuse problems getting help in Manatee jail's new recovery unit ."