Last week the State of Ohio opened what could be a saving grace for those who have gone down the wrong path in life.

The state opened a multiservice facility to help prison inmates better integrate into society and lower the number of repeat offenders reentering the prison system.

Not only does the Chillicothe-based facility house the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, but it also houses EXIT, a halfway house for former inmates.

The center will house a variety of treatment and education programs with inmates also working with gardens and as beekeepers, with some food to be donated to a local food bank.

This is good news for Lawrence County.

So many times, defendants get sent to prison, some of them very young, for years at a time. When they are released, they have no marketable skills to enter the workforce to support themselves. This inevitably leads them back to a life of crime and right back into the county jail to await the legal process and then, eventually, a trip back to the penitentiary.

The aging Lawrence County Jail is already in non-compliance for having too many inmates as it is. This new state program could be a way to keep those offenders from getting rearrested and sent back to the jail.

And as more programs are introduced throughout the state, the number of inmates who re-offend could continue to drop.

We hope this new facility is successful and that it adds more cooperative and productive citizens to our communities.