RIDGEVILLE, S.C. (WCSC) - The South Carolina Department of Corrections has the lowest recidivism rate in the country, but they want to make it even lower by teaching inmates job skills they can use immediately after incarceration.
The Lieber Correctional Institute in Ridgeville is in its third week of a pilot program that has master welders teaching inmates how to weld hands-on and learn other skills in the classroom, like how to develop a blueprint.
“We’re setting them up for success and not failure,” South Carolina Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling said.
Four CSRA county school districts will be impacted by the $2.1 million in grants awarded to rural school districts for projects designed to increase workforce readiness.
The inmates in this all-male prison have volunteered to take part, and it does not matter what their offenses are. They just have to have consistently good behavior and have already served a decent amount of their sentence.
The Grace Impact Development Center is a nonprofit that has helped bring this program to life. Its co-executive director, Tory Liferidge, says one of their main missions is workforce development.
“They’re not just gaining welding skills, but through our master welders, they’re gaining life skills,” Liferidge said. “And having different types of conversations, it’s making it a holistic program for them. "