Former Governor Tommy Thompson is proposing that a state prison be converted to a job training center for inmates. And that's drawing praise from State Representative Evan Goyke, a Milwaukee Democrat. Thompson's proposal calls for training non-violent inmates for in-demand skills, such as plumbing, welding, electrical work and carpentry. Representative Goyke says focusing on those skills gives inmates a destination upon release.
Representative Goyke says the Thompson plan also removes the stigma past inmates have faced when trying to find work outside prison walls.
And as envisioned by former Governor Thompson and supporters like Representative Goyke, that will turn potential reoffenders into highly skilled, tax-paying citizens.
