DOC Unveils New Job Training Program For Inmates

The state Department of Corrections (DOC) is launching a new job training program for inmates, with the goal of training 30 inmates per year in using computerized lathes to make machine parts.

Central to the project is a mobile training lab that will be shuttled from prison to prison. It’s equipped with state-of-the-art machining lathes, milling equipment, and a computer simulator. DOC Secretary Ed Wall unveiled the $300,000 trailer at the Racine Correctional Institution today. He says several companies have already committed to hiring inmates who complete the 14-week, 8-hour-per-day training .

“I think people understand that people make mistakes, and a single moment or a single mistake in somebody’s life should not necessarily be a defining moment for the rest of their lives,” said Wall. “We send (prisoners) out with new vocational training, certifications and abilities to keep them from going back to a life of crime.”

Inmate trainees will earn up to 16 college credits qualifying them for an entry-level position with a starting wage of $17 to $22 per hour. Ray Woodruff, the DOC’s reentry employment coordinator, says an inmate’s criminal history won’t disqualify him from entering the program. The only criteria for getting the training is that an inmate be within six to 12 months of release.

“That way, the technical education is relevant when they get released,” said Woodruff. “And then they have the math skills, the blueprint reading skills to enter the lab. There’s no crimes that will exclude them right now.”

Between 7,000 and 8,000 prisoners are released from Wisconsin prisons each year. Many of them return to crime often because they can’t find a job. DOC officials hope programs like this will reduce that recidivism rate.