Colorado prison officials expressed disappointment Thursday at a decision by Whole Foods to discontinue buying products manufactured by its prisoners as part of a work program.
Colorado Correctional Industries employs hundreds of inmates throughout Colorado’s 20 prisons to give offenders job-training opportunities, according to a news release by Adrienne Jacobson, Colorado Department of Corrections spokeswoman.
The programs have proven beneficial, she said.
More than 80 percent of former CCI employees with at least six months of CCI experience don’t commit new crimes after their release from prison, according to a CCI 2014 annual report.
“Despite yesterday’s announcement, CCI will continue to provide excellent service to our communities and support the continued use of CCI offender employees for the betterment of our prisons and our societies,” Jacobson said in a news release.
Whole Foods announced that it will no longer sell talapia, trout or goat cheese raised or produced in Colorado prisons after a group in Houston demonstrated against the practice.
According to Jacobson, various CCI work programs help rehabilitate offenders.
“These ‘soft skills’ are marketable skill sets that employers consider of critical importance – team-building, customer service and good work habits,” Jacobson said.
One former CCI worker, identified only as Reichert, commented about the program. “My experience gained while working in CCI’s print shop using – QuarkXPress, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop – helped me land a position as a Marketing Assistant, designing flyers and promotional materials. My success after release is a tribute to CCI and their efforts at teaching me a new trade,” Reichert said.