The female prisoners initially had no manual skills. Now they build houses

This was not a typical construction site. And these were not typical construction workers.

They were female inmates at the Athens-Clarke County Jail who were learning construction skills as part of a program called Future Foundations that began earlier this year. The program was started by a state representative and promoted by the sheriff, his jail staff and Sims, a volunteer. The goal of the program is to provide inmates with pathways to lucrative employment after their sentences, which could in turn reduce recidivism rates.

What officials did not expect were the results the program would show almost immediately: reduced tension among inmates, increased interest in developing other job skills, more responsible behavior among program participants, and reports of increased self-esteem. The program's impact was not limited to the women involved in the project; the morale of women on a waiting list hoping to attend the training also improved.

This has led at least one official to believe that other prisons across the state, perhaps even the country, could benefit from implementing the Athens concept.

“We still don't know exactly where it's going,” said John Q. Williams, sheriff of Athens-Clarke County. “It's kind of limitless.”

Building people

Spencer Frye knows how to build things. The Democratic state representative is the longtime executive director of Athens Habitat for Humanity.

Sometimes he juggles his pet projects for years, waiting for the right moment to act. He has long been fixated on helping people with criminal histories and teaching them the skills they need to get a job. At the same time, he is passionate about creating more affordable housing.

Then he got the idea that he could accomplish both goals with one program. When he met the sheriff at a weekend barbecue last fall, he took the opportunity to ask him about an idea.

What if he could train some of the men in prison – “weed dealers, non-violent” offenders – as carpenters so they could build buildings for use outside of prison?

Williams was open to the idea. They talked some more. Then he agreed. Sort of.

Frye might have some inmates he could work with, Williams decided. Female inmates. Williams, sheriff since 2021, had been looking for a way to provide more job opportunities for the roughly 60 women incarcerated. Of the roughly 475 people incarcerated in Athens, most are men, and they do most of the work: preparing and serving food, sweeping floors and doing laundry.

Frye was there. “Sure, let's do it,” he told the sheriff.

In February, about 12 inmates were selected from a long list of applicants. Frye has a truck and trailer large enough to haul a 1,700-square-foot structure – a tiny house – so they set out to build just that. He typically spends every other Saturday at the prison, and the group typically works eight hours.

That's where Sims comes in. As a licensed contractor with 35 years of experience, he plays a key role. His wife is Keith Sims, a media analyst with the sheriff's office. So Jonathan Sims has become an unofficial member of the prison team, and he often cooks hot dogs and hamburgers at youth events and other community activities at the prison.

Sims thought he could make Saturdays smoother for Frye by offering weekly training sessions for the inmates. First, he showed the women how to use different hammers and how to read a tape measure. Then he explained to them the importance of safety vests, safety glasses and hard hats.

“From there, we started building a house,” Sims said of the progress. So far, they have built birdhouses, a playhouse for children and a small house that will be used as an office for Habitat for Humanity. It is not yet clear how the other small houses built will be used.

Frye and Sims complement each other as teachers.

Frye radiates energy. He is lively, often uses analogies, sees the big picture, and likes to get his hands dirty. Sims is organized and loves the basics. “It's all about getting a single nail right – because it's all the little things that, repeated correctly, add up to the big picture,” he explained. He criticizes with jokes and laughter, and only intervenes when a second or third attempt fails.

Prison staff, including Lt. Gary Davenport, make the program possible by working overtime on Saturdays. Davenport has worked at the prison for 15 years, but before that he was an electrician, so he also knows his way around construction sites. He occasionally offers advice to the inmate workers.

“I don't like waste, and there's a lot of talent in this prison,” Davenport said. “I want people to have something productive to do when they get out.”

Angela Nichole Mosley was a founding member of the program. She had no previous construction experience, but by late July she was leading the crew as a mentor to new members. On a sweltering Saturday in July, Mosley was nearby when a freshman looked confused after Frye asked her to charge batteries for some power tools. Mosley put her hand on the freshman's shoulder and said she would show her how to do it.

“This program is not so much about building things, but rather about building people,” Mosley said.

Paving a way

Mosley grew up in Forsyth County, played sports in her youth and says she comes from a loving family.

When both her parents and two grandparents died within a short period of time, she found it difficult to cope with her grief. She turned to drugs, which led to several prison stints, including in Clayton and Hall counties. Life in prison is not easy, she said, but being released from prison is not easy either.

“When I get out, the colors are too bright, the grass is too green, the cars are too fast,” she said. “I usually lie in the fetal position for a couple of weeks and cry. If you don't talk about it, it becomes a dirty secret and you start using drugs again.”

Thanks to the Future Foundations program, Mosley has a plan for her next release. She wants to be a roofer and has taken inmate Spanish classes to improve her communication skills on various construction sites. She doesn't have a set release date yet – it could be years away. Earlier this month, she was transferred from the Athens-Clarke County Jail to the Hall County Jail, so she is no longer part of the Future Foundations program. But she recently wrote Frye a letter outlining her goals.

“I hope you can look at me in the future and see the result of your hard work,” Mosley wrote.

Photo credit: Seeger Gray / AJC

Photo credit: Seeger Gray / AJC

Selina Watts paved the way.

She, to, was one of the first participants in the program. She was released this summer and now works for Frye at a Habitat for Humanity thrift store. She tears up easily when she talks about the gratitude she feels for being trusted with tasks like handling cash. Others believed in her, she says, and now she believes in herself more. She was incarcerated for drug use, but believes she can avoid prison this time.

Although she currently operates a cash register, she hopes to utilize her skills as a construction worker once the terms of her release make it easier for her to travel to different work sites.

“I used to find every possible reason not to have a job,” she says. “Now I can't wait to go to work.”

According to statistics from the U.S. Department of Labor, Georgia is in the top third of the country with 11.3% of female construction workers.

The percentage has increased in recent years, and Sims hopes that trend continues. He says he would rather have women working with in prison than most of the teams he sees in action outside.

“They are much more interested in what they do,” he said.

At a police officers conference in Athens earlier this month, Sheriff Williams urged officials from agencies across the state to consider similar initiatives and described the benefits his jail has experienced as a result.

“I think we've hit the nail on the head,” Williams said, “but we're also working on a blueprint for even more.”