Mothers still in yellow jail uniforms wiped away tears Thursday, Aug. 20, as their children walked into the Cobb County Adult Detention Center in Marietta for a rare contact visit, the culmination of a sheriff's office rehabilitation program that pairs education with family reconnection.

The event marked the second time this year the Cobb County Sheriff's Office held a completion ceremony for Bond Beyond Bars: Mother's Edition, according to the Marietta Daily Journal. The program, which serves families across Cobb County including East Cobb, selects women in good standing at the jail and offers them a path to finish their GED or earn workforce certifications, including in construction, while taking classes on parenting, anger management and navigating probation.

Unlike a standard jail visit, the mothers could physically hold their children. That distinction mattered.

Major Yaminah Holt, who oversees the program, framed the moment for the group just before the kids entered: "Just like you have a wedding and you have your first look, we're about to have our first look with the kids, so you'll be able to enjoy that contact and visit with them."

One participant, identified only as J.T. by WABE to protect her privacy, had her two boys, ages 6 and 2, wrapped around her legs moments later. She told the outlet the program "showed me that people really still care, and I need to do better."

Another mother, 25, told CBS News Atlanta she had not held her 6-year-old and 8-year-old in four months. The event included games, music, lunch and back-to-school supplies. Mothers also wrote letters of encouragement for their children to take home as the school year begins.

Sheriff Craig Owens said keeping family bonds intact during incarceration is central to the program's purpose. He told CBS News Atlanta he wants children to "know their mother always loved them, even though they're not there with them every day."

Owens hopes to expand Bond Beyond Bars with similar visitation opportunities closer to the holidays, according to WSB Radio. No specific date has been announced for the next session.