New welding program could help incarcerated Mississippians gain employment after release

A new program for Mississippi inmates is helping to train, certify and employ welders. Experts say this program could help those in prisons re-enter society after finishing their sentences.

The new certification program is launching at the Central Mississippi Corrections Facility that uses new augmented reality equipment to teach welding. Participants will receive both in-person instructions on welding, as well as use this new technology to practice their skills and be graded in real-time.

Mississippi has one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation, and 77 percent will return within five years of their release according to the National Institute of Justice. Burl Cain, Commissioner of the Department of Corrections, says job security can help prevent a formerly incarcerated person from returning to prison.

“You can’t re-enter broke. And this equips them with high skill jobs so that they’re very employable so therefore they get past the stigma of being ex-convicts,” says Cain. “You may not get a job sweeping the floor, but you’ll get a job being a certified welder like you see here. And that’s what this is all about. It creates skills in trade that’s making inmates employable.”

Read more: https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/new-welding-program-could-help-incarcerated-mississippians-gain-employment-after-release/