BY CLIFF SMELLEY
Lawtey Correctional Institution is doing its part to prepare inmates to go into the outside world, but on Sept. 17, the outside world went into the prison.
The Florida Department of Corrections and Florida Foundation for Correctional Excellence hosted a Build Your Workforce employment partner showcase, offering employers, workforce-development personnel and members of other FDC institutions to get a firsthand look at the efforts to prepare those incarcerated for successful workforce re-entry.
“These men are doing great things,” said Amy Frizzell, director of programs and re-entry for FDC. “These men are ready for a second chance and an opportunity to do the right thing.”
LCI Warden Randall Polk told attendees that the prison had 60-plus earn their GEDs and 300-plus earn vocational credentials in the past year.
As a faith-and-character-based institution, LCI also had 257 graduates from its faith-character program.
“We’re committed to assisting them,” Polk said.
Stephen Rossiter, assistant regional director, programs, for FCD Region 2, said the goal of the showcase was to show people how those incarcerated are learning and preparing for the next step in their lives.
“You are going to see some stuff today,” Rossiter said.
That “stuff” included a tour of the facilities where inmates are learning skills and working toward their GEDs. Visitors were placed in small groups that were led by inmates, who escorted them to areas that are devoted to computer-aided drafting, food service, HVAC and plumbing as well as general education.
One of the inmates learning food-service skills expressed how he had found something he planned to pursue after his release.
“I have a passion for this now,” he said.
An inmate who serves as a teaching assistant in the general education program said LCI is second among FDC institutions in inmates obtaining their GEDs, with 16 percent of the population at LCI enrolling in the program versus 4 percent at other institutions.
“We help them, educate them and believe in them,” he said. “We can help nurture them so they can grow.”
The teaching assistant said he couldn’t undo the mistake that led to him being incarcerated, but what he could do is “give back to these men.” He talked about getting hugs from inmates who successfully earned their GED, saying, “I think this is a very rewarding experience.”
A visit to LCI’s chapel was also part of the tour, with inmates talking about the faith-character program, which includes classes in such areas as self-improvement, financial literacy and anger management and meets any spiritual needs inmates have.
It’s another part of preparing inmates to become productive, successful members in a community after their release. The teaching assistant in the GED program said, “I’ve learned to apply my principles of faith to everything. If I apply these principles, it gives me a better foundation for when I get out.”
After the tour, showcase visitors and their inmate guides gathered in the LCI gym. Erica Averion, executive director of Florida Foundation for Correctional Excellence, addressed the gathering, saying she views LCI as a campus, not a correctional compound. She said the intention of the showcase was to show what opportunities are provided to the inmates, who she described as “untapped talent” ready to enter the workforce.
Inmates have the chance to meet with potential employers prior to their release through virtual interviews. The showcase visitors watched a demonstration of such an interview, with two inmates talking about the skills they obtained while in prison.
Pete Haubner, who was once incarcerated but is now the vice president of field operations for Competitive Edge Partners and Consulting of Altamonte Springs, spoke to the crowd, saying the programs he witnessed at LCI didn’t exist 20-plus years ago when he was in prison.
Haubner talked to inmates about how they’ll face hurdles and challenges when they’re released. He said what defines a person is how those challenges are faced and conquered.
“When you’ve got tough choices to make, make them,” Haubner said.
He told inmates, once they’re released, to show up on time for work, doing whatever is necessary to get there, and to become passionate about their job. He encouraged them to take steps to keep bettering themselves, such as taking night courses or learning another language.
“You can do it,” Haubner said.
In expressing his belief in them, Haubner also addressed the other people attending the showcase, saying, “Continue to give opportunities to gentlemen like this. Don’t stop believing in them and coming to these types of events.”
Frizzell said it was her “crazy vision” to have showcases that would bring the outside world into the prisons, believing that “if we bring them in, great things will happen.”
“What we need is we need the community to partner with us,” Rossiter said, adding, “You have the ability to be a fulfiller of hope.”
An FDC press release prior to the showcase read: “Each year, more than 27,000 individuals return to Florida communities each year after incarceration. Innovative programming, coupled with legislative support, has dramatically expanded those individuals’ access to academic, technical and personal-development courses. These efforts, delivered by FDC’s expanded team of educators and program leaders, create pathways to successful reintegration and enhanced public safety across the state. As a direct-support organization, FFCE was created to amplify these efforts, connecting employers with qualified candidates preparing for release and ensuring workforce programs reflect real hiring needs.”
