Sheboygan, WI (WHBL) – It’s simply amazing what a ray of sunshine can do in a person’s life, sometimes.
On a recent sunny afternoon in Sheboygan, WHBL News ran across a group of work release inmates who were tending to the grounds at the Sheboygan Police Department. One of the inmates, Mathew Martin says, he’s had a number of run-ins with the law in the past, but this time, he’s putting trouble in the rearview mirror.
Matthew says he was all too glad to get out in the fresh air to do yard work that day because now, he really misses the sunshine, fresh air, and his kids. “It’s great to be outside and do something nice for the community… to give back,” he says. This was also the first sunny day that followed more than a week of rain in the Sheboygan area. It seems the walls were closing in on some work release inmates.
Matthew was locked up this time on a probation violation, for which he is serving 90 days. While that may seem minimal to some, the 34 year old says it took him a while to finally see the light, and grow up. Now that he has, this ninety day sentence feels like an eternity. “I’ve got better things to be doing now like spending time with my kids and working a steady job… not causing trouble that’s for sure.”
Matthew is the father of six children ranging in ages from 2 to 16. When asked if he’s on the straight and narrow now, he responded “One hundred percent, I’m done with trouble!”
Actually, time just may be on Matthew’s side.
The 2014 Recidivism reports released by the Wisconsin Department of Corrections shows a continued decline in the number of inmates who return to prison within two years of being released.
Captain Steve Cobb of the Sheboygan Police Department says most people want to succeed and want to do well. “Often times they just need the right environment, and the right opportunity and they don’t go back to crime.” Cobb says Martin just may have finally found the right environment to help him turn the page from a life of crime.
Although the captain stops short of calling Matthew reformed, he does believe that Martin is at the very least ready to try. Time will tell.