By Jakiya Dudley, Digital Media Specialist
Dothan, Ala. — Probation and Parole Officer Harold Purifoy from the Dothan Field Office has gone the extra mile to provide offenders with the necessary tools to be successful upon their reentry. In celebration of National Second Chance Month, the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles highlights the exceptional efforts of our officers and support staff as we come together to rehabilitate offenders and steer them back into society while minimizing recidivism.
Officer Purifoy has acted as the catalyst to kickstart the Knowing Education Empowers Progress or KEEP program. In partnership with Wallace Community College, KEEP is a program that provides educational development and job training skills for offenders.
Purifoy’s vast background in law enforcement and teaching is a key element to his understanding of the importance of education for probationers and parolees. Officer Purifoy is a retired National Guard veteran and served as a local law enforcement officer beginning in September 2002. While recovering from being injured in the line of duty, he worked as an instructor for Barbour County High School where he taught business education for three years. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice. Purifoy joined the Bureau in 2019.
He said he wanted to identify a huge problem that exists in the system. He asked, “If you only provide an individual with the mere skills that they had prior to being incarcerated, how can they progress after being released?” With this thought in mind, Purifoy wanted to create a resolution to address the issue of offenders lacking basic education and soft skills which are essential for advancement.
“Without education, these individuals are missing out on so many life-changing opportunities,” said Purifoy. “A person who lacks knowledge is only muscle, so I wanted to develop a resource to tackle this issue.”
As a 2018 Wallace Community College graduate himself, Purifoy collaborated with their team to effectively produce a program that can provide adult education opportunities and work-readiness for offenders. After nearly three years of contacting multiple resources and organizing this project, KEEP officially jumpstarted in January 2023.
Purifoy said he may have been the initiator, but he couldn’t have done it alone. He accredited the Wallace staff, his Dothan Field office staff and Dothan Field Officer-in-Charge Ken Brown for helping the program seamlessly come together.
“It took the whole boat’s support to keep this project afloat,” he said. “Along with the other officers and administrative support assistants, OIC Brown was one of the biggest voices when getting approval from judges in support of the KEEP program.”
Seventeen-year Bureau employee, OIC Ken Brown, expressed the hard work put into creating, funding and combining a program that offers GED opportunities and higher adult education along with career abilities such as nursing, welding, medical technician skills, general maintenance and logistics.
“Officer Purifoy is a passionate advocate for education,” OIC Brown added. “He had me and the staff’s full support the moment he introduced the idea.”
The KEEP program is one of many efforts put into rehabilitative services provided by our dedicated officers and support staff. Officer Purifoy and the Dothan staff has shown the epitome of what it means to believe in second chances. “When you show people there’s an alternate route, it makes a monumental difference that can change their entire life trajectory and that was one of my goals in the development of this program,” Purifoy said.
Current students in the program are completing a 12-week welding training course. They are set to graduate May 24.