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Local Program Gives Inmates the Opportunity to Work in the Community

Gary Kreuscher, a florist at Gainesville Floral Exchange, perfects an arrangement Monday. With almost three decades of experience in floral arrangments, Kreuscher created a bouquet in less than 10 minutes.
Gary Kreuscher, a florist at Gainesville Floral Exchange, perfects an arrangement Monday. With almost three decades of experience in floral arrangments, Kreuscher created a bouquet in less than 10 minutes.

Gary Kreuscher would leave home at 7 a.m. and bike about 4 1/2 miles to his job at Gainesville Floral Exchange. As he biked, an electronic ankle bracelet monitored his location.

At the time, Kreuscher's home was the Santa Fe Bridge Community Release Center. Previously, he had been sentenced to two years for cocaine possession, according to the Florida Department of Corrections.

The release center is managed by Bridges of America, a private provider of re-entry programming in Florida, contracted by the DOC. While at the facility, participants are able to work in the community and take classes.

Beth Watson, spokesperson for Bridges of America, said the facility is a substance-abuse treatment center for minimum-custody residents. About 150 male inmates are under clinical supervision in a “peer-led, peer-driven environment," according to the website.

“We believe that community release is among one of the best ways to decrease recidivism,” Watson said. Recidivism is a person’s relapse into criminal behavior.

Of the 404,638 state prisoners released in 30 states in 2005, 76.6 percent were arrested for a new crime within five years, according to a report published by the U.S. Department of Justice last April.

Of the released prisoners, about 128,674, or 31.8 percent, were arrested for a drug offense as their most serious crime. Of the drug offenders, 76.9 percent were arrested again within five years.

Watson said the program is an "opportunity" and is designed to help participants maintain a drug-free lifestyle in social situations.

Kreuscher, 63, owned a flower shop in New York City for 15 years and has about 30 years of experience in the field. Because of his background, Kreuscher convinced Wiley Wood, owner of Gainesville Floral Exchange, to give him an interview in 2013, which eventually lead to a job.

Wood, 45, said he has hired four or five people from the release center over the years for part-time, seasonal help.

Kreuscher began working Oct. 31, 2013, earning minimum wage. Fifty-five percent of each paycheck went to the release center to pay for the cost of living there.

A minimum of 10 percent was put in a savings account for Kreuscher upon his release, he said. The savings helped Kreuscher pay his accumulated court fees of about $2,600.

Kreuscher said he enjoyed his new freedoms but understood it was limited.

“You can never feel complacent or comfortable,” he said. “You have to remember you’re still under supervision.”

A failed drug test sent Kreuscher back to prison at Marion Correctional Institution on May 22, 2014, almost seven months after he was hired. There, he served an additional five months in prison.

After his release in October 2014, Kreuscher said he called Wood a few days later. They had previously spoken about the possibility of a permanent job before his arrest in May.

Wood said that he was a great employee and welcomed Kreuscher back, giving him a raise to $12 per-hour, and his own set of keys to the store, which Kreuscher said was "an honor."

He now has a car and a home in Ocala, and can afford to manage his diabetes. And, he realizes how fortunate he is, saying many do not have "a Wiley waiting for them" by the time they get out.

Rachael is a reporter for WUFT News who may be contacted by calling 352-392-6397 or emailing news @wuft.org