Hope of life in the building trades for soon-to-be-released inmates
By DON McINTOSH
Associate Editor
It was a most unusual graduation.
In the medium security wing of the
Coffee Creek Correctional Facility in
Wilsonville, Oregon, 16 female in-
mates were honored March 14 as the
first group to finish an experimental
building trades pre-apprenticeship
training program.
To cheers and hoots from their
classmates, one by one the women
were called forward in front of an au-
dience of prison officials, volunteer
trainers, and visiting officials from lo-
cal building trades unions. After re-
ceiving a certificate and hearing an
appraisal from vocational instructor
Jen Netherwood, each student got a
chance to say a few unscripted words.
“So many times, I’ve been told I
can’t do anything,” said Danelle Klein.
“This class gave me an opportunity to
do something with my life, and to sup-
port my kids when I get out.” Klein is
scheduled for an October release.
To be candidates for the program,
inmates had to be nearing their release
date, and have a high school diploma
or GED. They also had to be consid-
ered higher risk for recidivism, but
have had six months of clear conduct.
Divided into two groups of eight
students each, the inmates met four
days a week, four hours a day, for
four months.
The program was the brainchild of
Mark Warne, Oregon AFL-CIO
workforce liaison. Warne had put to-
gether a similar program in Colorado,
and argued to Oregon union appren-
ticeship coordinators and Oregon
Corrections Enterprises officials that
the benefits of such a program make
the investment worthwhile. Unions
get a chance to add younger women
to the ranks of an aging and over-
whelmingly male profession. And the
Department of Corrections gets a
chance to make a dent in recidivism:
Paroled inmates are less likely to re-
offend if they have a path to a reward-
ing career.
Inside, the star is Netherwood, a
former professional soccer coach
who’s now a member of Carpenters
Local 156. After seven years working
as a journeyman carpenter at residen-
tial contractor Neil Kelly, Nether-
wood was teaching classes at Oregon
Tradeswomen Inc., a program that
prepares women for building trades
careers. Then she had a phone con-
versation with Warne.
“He asked two questions,” Nether-
wood recalls: “Can you pass a back-
ground check, and have you ever
thought about working in a correc-
tional facility?”
Netherwood never imagined such
a job, but now that she’s there, says
(Turn to Page 12)
Women inmates at Coffee Creek Correctional Facility fill the partially completed hut they constructed under the
direction of vocational instructor Jen Netherwood (front and center). Standing on a ladder at the back is Monica
Heusel. Standing, from left, are Charity Henshaw, Gloria Friedrich, Bell Andersen, Molly Lewis, Danelle Klein, and
Valayshea Shaffer. Kneeling is Kelly Kissell. Sitting are Tami Johnson, Netherwood, and Shelly McGinnis. (Photo by
Dave Conway, general manager, Oregon Corrections Enterprises)
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APRIL 5, 2013
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
PAGE 7
