Century Correctional Institution recently celebrated its newest group of inmates to complete the Home Builders Institute's 12-week carpentry program that reaches inmates inside the prison.
The program, in partnership with the Home Builders Institute, provides hands-on experience in reading construction plans, estimating material and labor costs, and learning about job site safety. Program graduates receive industry certifications that prepare them for success when they return to their communities.
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The Florida Department of Corrections said the department prioritizes rehabilitation and vocational training in order to improve public safety, reduce victimization, and facilitate the successful reintegration of prisoners into society.
Century Correctional Institution is proud to collaborate with the Home Builders Institute. “We saw such a dramatic improvement in the men in the short 12 weeks they were in the program,” said Kelly Watkins, Century CI Warden.
“The program will give me the opportunity to change my lifestyle outside on the streets and give me a better future,” one prisoner program participant said with a slight smile. “I will be a better provider for my family and give me better reasons to move away from this place.
“I can see a transformation in their teamwork,” William Stark. Home Builders Institute instructor said. “So when they come into this class, they're pretty much on their own. As we go along, they're learning that they can ask questions and that this is a learning environment. This is not the environment they're used to. So they're learning and growing and having fun and, hopefully, thriving.”
