This holiday season, 49 inmates at Coffee Correctional Facility in Nicholls, Georgia are giving their families – and themselves – a special gift: their technical certificate in Gas Metal Arc Welding and Diesel Truck Maintenance. The certificates were awarded by nearby Wiregrass Technical College, which has entered into a unique partnership between CoreCivic, the Georgia Department of Corrections and the Technical College System of Georgia to help former inmates find stable employment.

Families and loved ones were on-hand to watch these inmate graduates, dressed in caps and gowns, receive their college certificate during the graduation ceremony presided over by Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Greg Dozier, Georgia State Senator Tyler Harper, and Warden Hilton Hall. Included in the graduating class are six inmates who have already been released from prison. One of those inmates, Russell Hawthorne, chose to return to the facility so that he could attend the graduation with his classmates.

"People have asked me, why would you want to go back to the prison," said Hawthorne. "I'm actually proud to come back…and get this certificate. I've never completed anything like this before."

The state of Georgia has experienced a high demand for workers in the fields of welding and diesel maintenance, naming them "strategic industries." The purpose of this partnership is to fill that demand while helping inmates be prepared to find steady work – and success – once released.

"There have been studies that show that obtaining an education while incarcerated reduces the likelihood of recidivism," said Principal Heather Bitting. 

Inmates enrolled in these programs complete their studies under the leadership of two full-time instructors from the college. Classes are held in a specially designed, standalone Inmate Vocational Training Center that offers an invaluable opportunity for hands-on experience with welding and diesel equipment.

Inmates who were awarded their Gas Metal Arc Welding Certificate receive instruction in specialized techniques and emerge prepared for entry-level employment in welding. Diesel Truck Maintenance program graduates are certified to administer maintenance on semi-trucks, trailers and other diesel equipment.

The welding and diesel maintenance programs launched in January 2017, and the recent graduation ceremony represents the first group of inmates to complete the programs. CoreCivic's Wheeler Correctional Facility in nearby Alamo, Georgia, offers the same programs through Oconee Fall Line Technical College and recently held its own graduation.

Coffee County Correctional Facility, in partnership with the state of Georgia, provides inmates with numerous educational opportunities at the facility. Coffee had the second highest number of GEDs issued to inmates in the state of Georgia for the fiscal year ending July 2016. Inmates who receive their GED are often motivated to enroll in additional programs and earn trade and technical certifications.

Says Principal Bitting, "When you see that drive and that eagerness to want more, you start to see a change."

CoreCivic Coffee Correctional Facility: Welding and Diesel Graduation from CoreCivic on Vimeo.