Nationwide — Incarcerated women at the Mississippi Correctional Institute for Women now have an opportunity to train for a career before they return to their communities. A new state board-certified nail technician school is giving 16 incarcerated women and two student instructors the chance to develop skills they can use to seek work after their release. The program opened with a ribbon-cutting ceremony hosted by Central Mississippi Beauty College, which runs the training. According to WLBT, students will spend about 17 to 18 weeks learning nail technology as they work toward a state-approved credential. The program allows them to complete the training while still serving their sentences, potentially giving them a professional skill to take with them when they leave prison.
Finding employment after incarceration can be difficult, especially for people concerned that their criminal records will keep employers from giving them a chance. Nykyia Brown, one of the students, said that has been a concern for her. “I always wonder like, with a record, what I do when I get out, like who will hire me or who want a convicted felon working for them,” Brown said. The nail technician program has given her something to work toward as she prepares for life after prison.
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain said job skills can help incarcerated people find employment and earn an income once they return to their communities. The program also involved incarcerated women in the construction of the training space. Women from the Central Mississippi Correctional Facility helped build the facility and created artwork for its interior before classes began.
Nail school instructor Terrica Knight-Hatten said she wants students to leave the program with more than technical skills. Her goal is for them to earn a license, gain confidence and have a career option when they return home. “If I can help even one woman leave here with a license, a career, confidence and a new direction in life, then I know this program has made a difference,” Knight-Hatten said. Program Specialist Erica Smith also emphasized the broader purpose of the school, describing it as “an opportunity for power.”
Brown said the training has changed how she thinks about her future. She sees the program as a chance to start over and make different choices after her release. “It really motivated me to know that I got a second chance to go back out there and start over and make new choices, new decisions, and to reform myself,” she said. The first group of students will now spend the coming weeks completing their training and working toward a credential they can potentially use to build a career after prison.