Masonry Magazine June 2007 Page. 16
TRAINING
Masonry Training in Prisons Reaps Successes
Programs teach inmates about masonry and prepare them for jobs on the outside.
At Left: Edwin Collazo discusses the masonry tr
WHILE EDWIN COLLAZO WAS INCARCERATED IN VIRGINIA, HE TOOK SEVERAL VOCATIONAL CLASSES, INCLUDING MASONRY. "I FIGURED I HAD A LENGTHY SENTENCE, SO THERE WAS NO SENSE WASTING TIME," COLLAZO SAID.
Editor's Note: In the interest of privacy, some of those interviewed for this article have withheld their last name.
Upon his release from prison, he wanted to become an electrician, but it required owning his own tools and a van - things he didn't have and couldn't afford. So his masonry instructor at the Virginia Department of Corrections (DOC) arranged a job interview with Southern Brick Contractors Inc. of Richmond, Va. Collazo was hired on the spot. Six and a half years later, he's a foreman with the company, is happily married, owns his own home, and is very appreciative of the masonry trade.
"It worked out for me, and it worked out for Southern Brick," he said. "I love my trade. I love waking up every morning and going to work."
By Brett Martin
14 Masonry
June 2007
www.masoncontractors.o