County jail offers coal-mining courses to inmates

In a small classroom at the Harlan County [Ky.] Detention Center, Southeast Community and Technical College coal-mining instructor Terry Gilliam meets with around 20 inmates once a week, teaching them skills that will allow them to get state certification to work in one of the state's most well-known industries.

Hoping to help these low-risk inmates break the cycle that landed them in prison, Jailer Curtis Stallard contacted the college about offering the training and will provide references for those who finish. "These guys are not rapists, murderers or hardened criminals," Stallard told Roger Alford of The Associated Press. "They're people who have taken wrong turns in life. People who need a second chance. And I believe this will provide them that chance." (Encarta map)

"You have to look at everyone as individuals," said Paul Matney, human resources director of TECO Coal Corp. "You don't just wholesale not consider applicants because they have a criminal record." Kentucky Coal Association president Bill Caylor says, "It's a fascinating concept," but nonetheless warns that the struggling economy may provide a bigger challenge than criminal records when it comes to finding a job. (Read more)