UNIONTOWN, Ala. (WSFA) - A center helping former inmates reenter society and stay out of jail has graduated its latest class.

The Perry County PREP Center is being heralded as an effective way of helping those looking to get back on their feet after serving time.

Once the graduates turn their tassels, they are ready to get to work.

The program has caught national attention as one of the best practices for reentry. The goal is to help people not become repeat offenders and be in and out of the prison system.

This is accomplished through a model that director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles Cam Ward calls the "three-legged stool": mental health treatment, drug addiction treatment, and job training.

"When you complete those three skills, most likely you'll never come back," said Ward. "I think it's a model we can all look at and should replicate going forward."

Ward says they also want to change the stigma attached to reentry.

"Reentry is a huge vital investment we can make to make sure that we do it right. Make sure that people don't go back to prison, make sure they don't go back to their old habits," he said. "I feel really good about what this does, and you'll see the success today in some of these people who are getting a second chance in life and getting back on their feet."

Out of the program's nearly 300 graduates, none of them have recidivated or returned to prison, which Ward says proves the effectiveness of the program.

The PREP Center will be featured in a book commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Second Chance Act as a case study for what works in reentry.