For the past few years POH staffs has worked on a reentry strategy which includes recycling and renewable energies, specifically solar energy. In January of this year we began implementing a plan to train parolees in the field of Photovoltaic. Beginning in August of 2009 we will start a five month pre-parole planning seminar at a local institution with the goal of preparing inmates for employment in the solar industry. Twenty inmates are expected to complete this pre-parole class by year’s end and upon release in early 2010 these will become the first POH participants to enroll in a NABCEP certification program through one of our partner organizations.

We believe that current reentry strategies do not include one of the most obvious fields of employment for people beginning anew. Many inmates hope to start over and that often includes a new area of work. Solar installing is a physically exhausting job, which many formerly incarcerated persons need to stay on track.

Solar and other green energies are on the rise and too few construction workers are trained solar panel installers. Photovoltaic is a highly technically specialized field with few certified installers. Many more are needed. At a time when the State of California is financially strapped and desperately seeking to reduce its prison population the solar industry is looking for more employees than before. If we begin to train inmates in photovoltaic rather than furniture upholstery we may have a greater chance of increasing the success rate of parolees and thus reducing recidivism. Certified inmates could be employed by CDCR to install solar panels on State properties. The Department would save millions in reduced electrical expenses; the inmates would be employed as apprentices prior to release thereby gaining well needed experience and the State of California could potentially train and certified hundreds of installers at a time when these are becoming increasingly necessary for the future of the nation.

Teddy Harder
President/Founder