Wisconsin inmates finally getting help getting jobs

It is, after all, called the Department of Corrections, not the Department of Punishment. The very name implies an attempt to correct the behavior that landed a person behind bars. That has not typically been the strength of our prison system. But now in Wisconsin, one prison is working to provide future success to its inmates. The Oakhill Correctional Institution now has a job center, where inmates can begin paving the way for their lives on the outside. The job center is equipped with computers, which have limited internet access to build their resumes, search for jobs, and even set up interviews. It is the first of its kind in Wisconsin, and although it has only been in operation for a few weeks, there is already evidence it is working. One inmate applied for a job, and got offered an interview. He was offered the job just days after his release from prison. It is likely that success story will not be the last. Getting inmates ready for the workforce upon their release increases the chances they will become productive members of society, and helps the state’s job shortage. This is a good program, which should be expanded to the state’s other prisons so the state agency can live up to its name as the Department of Corrections.