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Prison Industry and Workforce Development in the Community printer-friendly

By Joseph Williams, Christian Association for Prison Aftercare

On August 20th I had the opportunity to participate as a panelist in a satellite/internet conference that was sponsored by the National Institute of Corrections (NIC).  The topic of discussion was the link between prison industries and workforce development.  Other panelists included directors of prison industries programs at the state and federal level, NIC staff and workforce development officials.  This particular broadcast was the largest ever hosted by NIC with well over 6,000 people from three countries participating.  Apparently, this subject struck a cord with quite a number of professionals and volunteers.  The audience consisted of corrections officials, workforce development groups and faith-based and community-based organizations.

I must admit that even though I am a product of the prison system, I did not know a great deal about prison industries before I began meeting with the others in preparation for the broadcast.  At the age of 21, I was arrested and imprisoned by the military.  I was subsequently court marshaled for robbery and given a two-year sentence at Ft. Leavenworth military prison.  Shortly after arriving at the prison I learned that every inmate at Ft. Leavenworth had the opportunity to learn a trade through the prison industry program.  This was probably a situation unique to that prison.

I chose to work in the furniture upholstery shop and learned that I indeed had an aptitude for that type of work.  I worked in the upholstery shop for nearly a year until my early release from prison.  Upon returning to Detroit in 1975, I found that the job market was pretty tight as the auto industry had already began its decline.  It was difficult for most people to find a job.  However, because of my skills as a furniture upholsterer, I was always able to find work.  I am confident that having learned this trade played a major part in my never returning to prison.  I think that all of us would agree that finding gainful employment is critical to men and women succeeding once they are released from prison.

I learned from my participation on the broadcast that prison industry has come a long way, since the stereotypical days of pressing license plates.  Many state  prison industry programs produce a wide array of products ranging from eyeglasses to custom motorcycles.  As inmates participate in these programs they learn valuable work skills.  In addition to the hard skills they learn, inmates also have the opportunity to develop a work ethic that may be absent from their lives.  I have observed that a large number of the men and women who are released from prison today have never held a job in their lives.  Depending upon what kind of neighborhood they grew up in, many may have never seen an adult get up in the morning and go to a job.

Michigan’s Prison Build program teaches inmates building trades by having them manufacture modular housing units.  These units are transported from the prison to the community and assembled at construction sites.  They are used to construct housing for low-income families.  A major partner of Prison Build is Habitat for Humanity.  Once these men and women are released from prison they are qualified to work on construction sites.

Another example of the opportunities that are available through prison industries is the P.R.I.D.E.(spell out)  program in Florida.  The city of Orlando is in the process of constructing three major venues.  Orlando’s leaders have made it mandatory that the construction companies  receiving the contracts  build these venues and hire returning ex-offenders to work on the construction sites.  Naturally the construction companies need to find qualified prospects to fill these positions.  Those men and women who have participated in construction related prison industry will make the best fit for these great jobs.

Interestingly, I learned that although some states have very sophisticated prison industry programs, quite a number do not have the ability to link up with workforce development programs, including faith-based and community organizations in the community.  This is indeed a missing link.  In order for these men and women to fully take advantage of the valuable training  received while incarcerated, they must have significant tangible, social and spiritual support in the community.  Prison industries officials must begin to reach out to faith-based and community organizations as partners in this process.  The only way they can be assured that the affects of their work will be sustained is by forging these types of partnerships in the community.

Faith-based and community organizations can assist by providing social and spiritual support as well as tangible support.  They can assist former inmates with obtaining identification, finding suitable housing, and providing support groups, substance abuse services, clothing and job start-up expenses.  Partnering with prison industries is also valuable to faith-based and community organization.  This kind of partnership can help them to identify well-trained men and women who are better prepared to enter the workforce.  These partnerships are also very valuable for potential employers who have an interest in employing men and women upon their return to the community from prison.  It provides them with better prepared employees.

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