Lawmakers and state agencies want to give inmates more jobs in prison – and prepare them for job opportunities when they get out of prison.
If you do a statewide search for food service jobs on websites like Indeed, you’ll get thousands of hits. And some lawmakers think they have a way to fill that demand.
The governor announced he wants to stop outsourcing the prison’s food services.
Republican Senator John Proos wants to explore the possibility of training inmates to do those jobs. He says those skills would then allow inmates to get a job when they leave prison.
“Why wouldn’t we find new ways to bring the kind of skills and skilled labor to the individuals who are going to be coming back to our communities anyway.”
The workgroup will include representatives from the Michigan Department of Corrections and the restaurant industry.