The path to a stable future might just come with a work ID, safety glasses and a set of new skills.
Four women are getting a chance to re-shape their futures after incarceration, as the first career-training program of its kind launches in Connecticut.
Jessica, Judy, Shannon and Sydni are the first four female inmates in the state to be granted work furlough for a career training program at Whitcraft, an aircraft parts manufacturer in Plainville.
“It's amazing. You could see all the potential you have to grow in this company,” Sydni said.
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After being accompanied by officers to an emotional ceremony Friday, they clocked in.
“I already fit in,” Judy, who had already been on the job for a week, said. “Everybody here has been so very kind and supportive, and they're all about upward mobility.”
The program enables the women to learn advanced manufacturing skills. They take home pay checks, health insurance and benefits.
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“To not have shackles on your arm, a guard holding your arm as you walk from one spot to another, and for people to trust you and give you this opportunity to reintegrate back into society, it feels very freeing,” Shannon said.
Jacqueline Gallo, Whitcraft’s chief operating officer, said they have run a career-training program for men since 2018, but a program for women did not get approved until now.
"It's been a tremendous amount of effort and collaboration with the state, the DOC, and also the prison,” Gallo said. “The men have really paved the way and done a great job, and now the women are going to have that same opportunity."
Angel Quiros, director of the Department of Corrections, tells NBC Connecticut funding for a women’s program was there, but COVID-19 delayed it.
“Now that COVID is somewhat coming down, we're going to ramp up these programs,” he said.
Quiros said the DOC has $20 million from the state for vocational programs. They aim to ultimately get 20 female inmates working at Whitcraft’s Plainville location and another 20 male inmates at the Eastford location.
The department is also in the early stages of expanding career-training with other employers.
“It's a breath of fresh air,” Jessica said. “At the facility, I am an inmate. And here I am a co-worker.”
After serving sentences that range from two years to two decades, these women appreciate the chance to contribute before their upcoming release dates, working to step beyond the mistakes of their past and step into society.
“It's going to help me continue to build in my confidence, and get the confidence back in myself that I had lost,” Jessica said. “This place is going to help build that back up. I don't really have the words for it, honestly.”
