Industry Supervisor comments on BCE Sign Shop Service

“It’s Work, Earn, Learn. That’s the concept here.””

Bill Huber, Industry Supervisor at the BCE Sign Shop at the Stanley Correctional Institution

The Bureau of Correctional Enterprises or BCE is the manufacturing and agricultural enterprise of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. They operate fourteen industries and two logistics operations in twelve correctional facilities, in addition to two farms and a dairy. The mission of the BCE is “to enhance public safety by providing jobs and training for persons in our care which develop marketable skills and experience in financially viable businesses while providing quality products and services to our customers.” BCE’s industry operations include: Wood Fabrication, Metal Fabrication, Metal Stamping, Upholstery, Wood Fabrication, Custom Signs, Road and Trail Signs, Sign Hydro-stripping, Printing, Laundry and Linen Rental, Textiles and Embroidery, Computer Recycling, Durable Medical Equipment Refurbishing, and Product Development Center.

The BCE Custom Signs team, based at the Stanley Correctional Institution, offers a variety of specialized services such as, large format digital printing, custom metal fabrication, CNC department and the paint department.  Beginning in 2005, BCE Customs Signs employs one BCE supervisor, two BCE employees, one industry officer and thirty to thirty-five inmate workers, or persons in our care, at the Stanley Correctional Institution. Bill Huber, Industry Supervisor at the BCE Sign Shop at the Stanley Correctional Institution says, “It’s Work, Earn, Learn. That’s the concept here.” At BCE Custom Signs they custom design everything for each customer and manufacture many items including interior signs, banners, wall murals, and street signs and can offer custom engraving as well. They create using wide format printers, solvent ink printers, uv ink printers, and a flatbed printer that direct surface prints and prints texture as well. Many items are available for sale on the website, but they are limited to who can purchase their items and are able to sell only to state and nonprofit entities or nonprofit clubs.

The BCE Custom Signs has made a variety of products that are showcased in the community and the surrounding areas.  One very special piece is the tribute memorial for the three Girl Scouts and a mother that were killed by a driver that went off the road when they were picking up trash along County Highway P in Lake Hallie. The powder-coated memorial, made at the Stanley Correctional Institution, stands 19 feet tall and 10 feet wide and is made from aluminum material. Bill Huber, who supervised the project, recalls that it made an impact it made on everyone who worked on it.

The BCE partners with the Department of Workforce Development to issue certified apprenticeships. Specifically at BCE Custom Signs, a mechanical drafting apprenticeship is offered through the Department of Workforce Development where inmates can sign up with the Department of Workforce Development in their apprenticeship program and earn credits towards an associate degree. The opportunities provided by the Bureau can be used by inmates to help them succeed in Department facilities, thus expanding their success upon their return to their communities and families.

Beginning as a budget initiative in 1998, the Transition Program has provided information about employment related services to hundreds of inmates. The Transition Program is voluntary but is geared towards the inmates who have worked for the BCE, Correctional Farms, or other special projects while they were incarcerated. The program went statewide in 2001 and now serves offenders returning to all 72 Wisconsin counties. Some services provided by the program include assistance in acquiring identification documents, working with offenders on resume development, acting as employment references for potential employers, and providing supplemental funds for items directly related to finding and keeping employment, including tools, rent, clothing and transportation.  Speaking on the challenges of inmates finding jobs after release, Huber remarks, “There are more and more second chance employers out there.  He speaks on the success of the program in regard to the inmates, “This helps them get on their feet and not reoffend and come back, so that they can go out there. They are excited that they worked with us, and they have the skills to go out there and work, especially at this time when there are lack of employees in places. We had guys that had gotten released, they’ve been incarcerated for 25 years, and they get out and had a job within two days and they had multiple job offers.” Huber has seen first-hand how the inmates have grown through the program. “Many times, the guys that come in here, we hire them at all different skill levels, and some come in with no skill levels and then you watch them mature and grow.  You can see how they develop and as they do that, they build their confidence up more and they start believing in themselves. People believe in them, and they start believing in themselves and that helps a lot in (their) growth as well.”