The sounds of saws and sanders are sounds you wouldn’t normally expect to be coming from a prison.
At Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia, it’s that very sound heard nearly everyday.
It’s all part of the Michigan Department of Corrections “Prison Build Program”.
The program is one of 12 in prisons across the state that is teaching inmates a skilled trade and allowing them an opportunity to give back to the community.
“We work with Habitat for Humanity making kitchen cabinets for habitat all over the state of Michigan,” said Andy Hengesbach, the programs instructor. “Last year we did 38 homes averaging of about 15 cabinets each, thats pumping out cabinets at every seven working days which out of a prison is quite amazing.”
Habitat for Humanity donates supplies to the program.
The program is treated as if it’s a real world job. Starting bright and early at 6:30 a.m. every weekday, inmates are expected to show up, be polite to one another, and work together to get the job done.
Between scraps leftover and a little help from the budget, you’d be amazed what can happen with extra projects on the side.
“We do a lot for non-profit organizations and fundraisers,” said Hengesbach. “So for these guys to do a project and be able to know that I handed it out to a fundraiser and raised money for a school or church gives them a good feeling of them giving back,” said Hengesbach.
Before inmates at Bellamy Creek are able to get their hands on saws and tape measures, course work must first be completed.
The coursework is based on a curriculum from the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCR) where basic safety is taught along with carpentry.
Inmates also work to obtain an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) certificate.
“It’s something for these guys to put in their pocket for when they go home,” said Hengesbach. “If they want to get a job in a factory that's great, but if the factory closes down this trades ticket is in their pocket.”
Joining the program in 2009, Hengesbach says the transformation he sees in inmates is remarkable.
“By the second or third chapter test that they've passed it starts to click that you know what, I can do this,” said Hengesbach. “And once you get them on the floor and using a skill saw or a shop saw, they start getting dirty and dusty they love it.”
“We've got to keep them busy and we've got to keep them active because if we keep them locked in their cell 24 hours a day, that's where trouble happens,” said Hengesbach. “If we can get them in here and make them feel good about themselves, that's a win for everybody. “
Shawn Simpson finished his training and is now tutoring others in the program.
We caught up with Simpson who was making hand crafted American flags to be donated.
With over two years in the program, Simpson says time flies by.
“It makes me feel like I’m not wasting my time here and that I’m actually doing something for the world,” said Simpson “Helping the community, doing something for myself, learning, and helping others learn.”
Time is flying by as well for the programs instructor. For Andy Hengesbach the opportunity to replace the “criminal” label with “student” for these men, is an experience that’s changed his life.
“I once had a grown man cry in my office because he never knew how to read a tape measure,” said Hengesbach. “He called his wife that night and told her that he could read a tape measure and he felt so good.”
The Department of Corrections “Prison Build Program” only donates work to non-profit fundraisers, schools, and churches across the state.
Non-profit groups that would like to have something made for a fundraiser can contact the Bellamy Creek Correctional Facility in Ionia at (616) 527-2510.
Click here to learn more about the “Prison Build Program.”
