Braille students at Avenal State Prison (ASP) receive marketable job skills as a way to reduce recidivism through a coordinated program consisting of:
- Vocational/Job skills training
- Documentation of work history
- Access to resources provided by ASP for use in their housing units
- Providing quality training and work opportunities for eligible incarcerated offenders that facilitates reintegration upon release.
Milestone Completion Credits are earned by each ASP Braille student upon completion of a certification level.
The levels designated by the Library of Congress are:
- Literary Braille Transcribing, Braille-LOC-Level I
- Literacy Proofreading, Braille-LOC-Level II
- Music Transcribing Braille-LOC-Level III
- Mathematics, Braille-LOC-Level IV
- Mathematics Proofreading, Braille-LOC-Level V
Requirements to participate in the Avenal Braille program include:
- Disciplinary free for at least one year
- Be a United States citizen or have permanent resident status
- Have a high school diploma or equivalent
- Be willing to transfer to Facility “F”
- Have good computer skills with no computer restrictions
- Must have four or more years left on one’s sentence
By Lt. J. Campbell
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