Milwaukee inmates graduate with MATC welding certificate as part of 'Second Chance' program

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Thursday, Dec. 8, Milwaukee inmates received certificates for welding.

The applause, loud, and the smiles, big, at Milwaukee Area Technical College as 11 men took their next steps towards life on the outside.

"I've done the crime, I'm doing the time, and once I'm home I want to live life again," said Hienou Demessie, graduate.

Demessie, from Minnesota, found himself on the wrong side of the law a few years back, but with the help of re-entry programs like Second Chance, he's gained the skills of a welder.

"It's giving us an opportunity to put something together with our own hands. Just like our lives, we can save our future, and that’s what we are doing right now," said Demessie.

The federally funded program allows eligible inmates to receive Pell grants and pursue post-secondary education with the goal of helping them get jobs and support their families when they're released.

"I'm looking for something different. If you don’t change what you've always done, you'll never get different results," said Demessie.

Recent research has shown that inmates who participate in educational programs while in prison have a 43% lower chance of ending up back in prison than those who don't.