Pre-Apprentice Carpentry and Pre-Apprentice Construction Labor
graduates proudly wear their signature pink CALPIA hard hats
The California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) pre-apprentice program has graduated 70 women in the field of carpentry, construction labor, healthcare facilities maintenance and computer coding at the California Institution for Women (CIW), reported ABC 7.
“64% of California’s jail population is awaiting trial or sentencing as of December 2016.” Most remain in pretrial custody because they cannot afford bail. Jail Profile Survey, http://www.bscc.ca.gov/
“It’s scary, thinking about going home, not knowing how you’re going to handle things. I heard it’s hard out there, especially when you’re getting out of prison ,” graduate Jonala Jones said. “These skills give me more peace of mind knowing I obtained something that can help me get a job.
“25 percent of millennial-age American men think asking a woman who is not a romantic partner to go for a drink is harassment,” according to a recent survey by The Economist/YouGov reports The New York Times 1-17-18.
The goal of the program is to rehabilitate inmates by giving them viable job training. The program has been successful in making sure they don’t end up in custody again. It has a low 7.13 percent cumulative recidivism rate for its graduates. The coding program has a zero percent recidivism rate.
“SNY [Sensitive Needs Yard] …comprises roughly half the California prison system,” according to Lody Lewn in the Prison University Project Spring 2018 Newsletter Volume 13, No.1
Once they parole, program graduates are eligible to sign up at a union hall in California. They can also apply to have their union dues paid for a year by the training organization.
“They’re enthusiastic about the programs that we bring,” CIW Warden Molly Hill said. “They’re open to change and trying new programs to make themselves more successful, and you usually don’t see that at other institutions.”
Graduate Ashley McCrimmon confirmed that she learned to be a better team player.
“My bosses taught me that you’re only as good as your last job,” she said. “You have to do your best every day. That’s something I’m going to keep with me forever.”
http://sanquentinnews.com/fight-incarcerated-women-detailed-new-memoir/