Housed on the medium security campus of the Adult Correctional Institute is a service that trains and teaches inmates for jobs when they are released.

“The program started in 1934, with the purpose of providing job skills for inmates,” said Joe Flaherty, assistant director of Correctional Industries.

The different areas of work that are offered are varied in skill level and interests, including auto body, plate shop, garment shop, print shops, carpentry shop, metal shop, upholstery/furniture repair shop, warehouse shipping and receiving, graffiti removal, floor care, grounds maintenance, moving, painting, furniture delivery and installation.

According to Flaherty, there are currently 128 inmates working in the various areas. There are also inmates who work jobs within the facilities and who are out on work release.

Inmates work between four to five hours a day, five days a week, and according to state statute they can make up to $3 a day. The building job lieutenant is in charge of inmate employment at each facility.

“He or she is responsible for placing qualified inmates in available jobs. Once they apply, they get on a waiting list, and must have no violations on their prison record,” said Flaherty.

Depending on orders from the Department of Motor Vehicles, the plate shop averages around 250,000 license plates produced per year.

“All plate types are blanked when the sheeting rolls arrive and blanks of all types are embossed and then painted, dried, bagged and boxed. The process takes a few hours to complete,” said Flaherty.

When they have the old plates turned in from the DMV, they are melted down, and the scrap is sold to maintain the facilities.

The automotive shop has rebuilt fire trucks for several cities and towns, saving the municipalities thousands in costs of buying new pieces of equipment that do not need to be replaced.

In the garment shop, all inmate clothing, sheets, towels, pillowcases and similar items are made. Each inmate is given three sets of uniforms. Officer Machodo Josepth started an initiative where all the scraps of materials are donated to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island to be re-purposed.

Due to state statute, Correctional Industries can only sell to state agencies, municipalities and non-profit organizations. The University of Rhode Island is their biggest customer.

“We do all their dorm furniture, offices and other buildings,” said Flaherty.

The Rhode Island Attorney General’s office has submitted a purchase order for all new chairs to go into their new offices. U.S. Rep. James Langevin is having a customized traveling folding podium designed and built for him by the carpentry shop.

“By his specifications, we made it wider, it has a lower recess to allow for his wheelchair and it has an eight-inch cut out to accommodate the chair as well,” said Dan Shuchman, supervisor for the upholstery/carpentry/shop areas.