The Arizona Department of Corrections inmate programs & reentry department recently held a summit titled A Day in the Life: How We Create Safer Communities. 

The event highlighted the many services available to state inmates including education classes, religious opportunities, re-entry programs, and community resources. 

Also during the summit, MTC and the other two corrections contractors working in the state, received awards for their commitment to programming.

“We’re very proud of our education department,” says Warden Jeremey Casey. “Our instructors work really hard to help the men in our care to gain the education and skills they need to be successful while they’re here and after release. Some of these men leave with excellent technical skills in construction that will help them find good jobs.”

The award was based on three areas: literacy testing, literacy completions, and career and technical education. 

One of the areas of programming having great success is career and technical education which is provided through a partnership with the National Center for Construction Education & Research. 

Incarcerated men at Marana have access to training in carpentry and advanced craft labor. The courses are based on a 70% hands-on and 30% classroom instruction model. Research shows that students who participate in activity-based programs perform up to 20% higher than those who only learn through textbooks. 

In 2017, 112 incarcerated men completed the career and technical education program at the Arizona State Prison-Marana.