JACKSON, Mich. – A first-of-its kind program is taking place in a Michigan prison, helping inmates find a purpose.
The program, called Vocational Village, was designed to create a brighter future for prisoners by helping them embark on a new career path and leave a life of crime behind them.
Joseph Gora is learning all the ins and outs of laying concrete. He's been imprisoned for six years for arson.
"I've had a lot of bad influences in my life," Gora said. "But which led me into using drugs and alcohol and just gone down the wrong path in life."
Gora is scheduled to be released in January. When he leaves the Parnall Correctional Facility in Jackson, he'll head out with tools for a job.
He is one of hundreds of inmates enrolled in Vocational Village.
Warren Hunt said the program is life-changing and gives inmates like himself hope for a job and life outside the prison walls.
Inmates involved take a test to see which area might be the best fit for them. In addition to concrete laying, there's tree trimming, carpentry, masonry, auto repair and more.
By housing prisoners together who share a common goal of improving their lives through education, a positive and productive environment has been created.
It's the only program like it in the country.
Months before they're set to be released, staffers help line up interviews and meetings with recruiters.
The Vocational Village in Parnall Correctional Facility was launched in 2017. There's another at Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia that launched in 2016. A third is set to open by the end of the year at Women's Huron Valley Correctional Facility in Ypsilanti.
For more information, visit Vocational Village's official website here.