Second chances; Wisconsin inmates graduate from program

MILWAUKEE - A group of Wisconsin inmates is seizing a second chance after they worked to have a certain skill to take advantage of after they get out from behind bars.

Jevon Curtis is one of 10 students who recently graduated with his welding certificate.

"It’s a big accomplishment for me," Curtis said. "I didn’t see myself welding, and hopefully I can use this in the future to better myself a life."

It's an opportunity for Curtis to start over after he's released from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. He's serving time at the correctional facility for drug convictions.

Graduate Jevon Curtis

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"But I’m kind of glad that it happened, because now I can set a different course in my life," Curtis said.

That's why he enrolled in the Milwaukee Technical Area College’s Second Chance Pell program. It grants federal aid to people like Curtis so they can earn their education behind bars.

Program leaders say inmates who join educational programs in correctional facilities cut their chances of reoffending nearly in half.

"We are certain that all of them have potential to get jobs," MATC Executive Dean Dr. Sadique Isahaku said. "It’s very exciting for us, because it’s a long journey. They have done some sacrifices; going to work, coming to school. It’s not an easy task."

But it's more than an effort to fight recidivism.

"There are other ways than stealing cars and selling drugs and playing with guns," Curtis said.

Curtis said it’s a second chance to prove your circumstances don’t define you.

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"There are ways to make it out [of] your environment," he said.

MATC's Second Chance Pell program is 16 weeks long. It teaches students the fundamentals, like how to weld and read blueprints and measurements.