Aubree B. Jennings and Kayla Baggerly
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — Female inmates at the Utah State Prison are now able to learn tech skills with the addition of three new programs for incarcerated women, according to the Department of Corrections.
Davis Technical College and the UDC recently announced three new educational programs for women at the Utah State Correctional Facility. This expansion follows a legislative effort to provide more educational options for inmates, including a push to give women the same opportunities as men.
The new certification programs are in Automation and Robotics, Information Technology, and Web and Graphic Design. Before the addition, women at the prison were only offered certifications in Culinary Arts or Business Technology.
The UDC says the programs are meant to help female inmates gain the skills necessary to successfully re-enter society, according to a press release.
“In a limited environment, I feel limitless,” said Heidi Rasmussen, a current participant in the new programs. “Knowing that I can control my future maybe this time I’ll be more successful upon release now that I am more eligible for jobs.”
The UDC and Davis Tech said they are excited to offer “a wide range of vocational training,” believing it can help change more lives.
Davis Tech has partnered with the UDC for 13 years to help prepare inmates for success out of prison. Davis Tech President Darin Brush said they had long hoped to increase programs for female inmates, and that the new prison facility has made that possible.
“Now more students there can benefit from short-term training that leads directly to high-demand careers in our community, which helps all of us,” Brush said.