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California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) Certifies Offenders for Productive Life after Prison
CALPIA Programs Provide Carpentry and Construction Labor Certification For Soon-To-Be Paroled Offenders
CORONA – Today, 16 offenders at the California Institution for Women (CIW) received diplomas and/or certificates during graduation ceremonies.
The 16 CALPIA Career Technical Education (CTE) graduates completed the necessary steps to receive CALPIA certification in Construction Labor. Six of these also received Carpentry certification.
“These graduates are learning valuable skills that will give them a foundation for success as they transition back to their communities,” said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitations (CDCR) Secretary and Prison Industry Board Chairperson, Jeff Beard.
With a recidivism rate of less than 15 percent, CALPIA’s CTE programs are CDCR’s most successful vocational training programs. Construction Labor participants have a cumulative recidivism rate of just 4.88 percent.
To increase the chance of employment, all CALPIA offender employees are required to obtain a high school diploma, or complete a GED, within two-years of beginning the program.
“By choosing to participate in CALPIA’s carpentry training the CTE graduates have built new programming space, learned construction skills, and significantly reduced their chances of returning to prison,” said Charles Pattillo, General Manager of CALPIA. Rather than costing taxpayers an average of $42,000 per year for housing, the vast majority of CALPIA graduates will become law-abiding and taxpaying citizens.”
CALPIA’s CTE program trains offenders in various pre-apprentice construction skills that include welding and ironwork, general labor, and finished carpentry. CALPIA provides paroled graduates with a set of tools and a tool belt so they are ready for the first day at their new job.
CALPIA is a self-financed state entity that provides training and productive work assignments for approximately 7,000 offenders in 25 CDCR institutions in California. CALPIA receives all of its revenue from the sale of the products it manufactures. CALPIA funds the CTE program from proceeds derived from CALPIA enterprises. The recidivism rate among CALPIA CTE participants is 80 percent lower than the general prison population, a success attributed to the job skills and industry certifications obtained by participating in the program.
