ST. CLAIRSVILLE — Inmates at Belmont Correctional Institution have new resources to connect them with job opportunities upon release, since the prison is partnering with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

A former classroom has been renovated as a satellite office for Ohio Means Jobs, allowing inmates to connect with their home counties and search for employment information.

Inmates will have access to Chromebooks and other tools to contact employers. The work was done in-house by the prison’s information technology staff.

An official ribbon-cutting ceremony was held Tuesday morning.

Warden David Gray said times have changed from 25 years ago, when inmates were given a $75 check upon release and little to no further support. He said that often led to them offending again.

“We thought one of the ways we could tackle recidivism was getting folks jobs,” he said, adding that programs to encourage businesses in the local community to hire ex-convicts had limited success, since comparatively few inmates at BCI are from Belmont County.

Gray said 1,084 people were released last year.

“It’s important for us to prepare these guys for life after incarceration,” he said, adding that Ohio Means Jobs’ mission dovetails with the prison’s programs to offer mental health counseling, education, apprenticeships and vocational programs. He commended ODJFS for securing grant funding through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Pathway Home program for this statewide initiative. The agency provided $50,000 for the Belmont County project.

“Job and Family Services has really been a friend to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, but they really stepped in to help us,” he said.

He said technology such as Chromebooks will help inmates apply for jobs, prepare resumes and otherwise find opportunities.

Michelle Theil, administrative professional of reentry at the prison, spearheaded the room’s design. She said the facility has video conferencing equipment and access to community partners in counties across Ohio.

“This is to help our pre-released individuals get home, break the barriers, navigate through life,” she said. “That is what we’re hoping for, that you just don’t fall and don’t think you have a stepping stone once you fall.”

She credited a team effort for making the site possible.

Jennifer Sanders, superintendent of the Ohio Central School System, was keynote speaker for the dedication. She underlined the importance of employment in an inmate reentering society and commended Belmont Correctional and Ohio Means Jobs for bringing opportunity to people in a negative place in life.

“Employment is a very big, important part of that, as is education,” she said. “I just appreciate seeing how everybody working together can make a difference.”

She said she hoped the inmates take advantage of the tools available.

“Some people say: ‘We didn’t have a choice to be here.’ But you have a choice to do this, and I want to say how much I appreciate that you allow us that opportunity,” she said.

Ron Weber, project manager with ODJFS said the department is working with correctional facilities across the state to establish Ohio Means Jobs centers, and the Belmont County prison has been working with the agency’s resume database and asking employers to use the database to hire inmates upon release.

“Belmont Correctional Institution has always done a fantastic job,” he said. “But we have never had a job center or an official presence here in Belmont, so when we got our $4 million grant to create more of these centers, Belmont Correctional Institution was at the top of the list.

“These specialized centers help individuals search for jobs, connect with employers, work on their resumes and interviewing skills and find information about training programs and services. The goal is to help restored citizens return to their communities with jobs or prepared to begin new careers immediately.”

He added that the program is focused on inmates six months away from release. ODJFS is working with 10 prisons to set up facilities, and nine more are interested in setting up a center.

“So we’ll probably be sending them here to tour this location and see how they got it done,” he said.

Terry Jones, project manager with ODJFS, commended the prison for the “total team project” in preparing for the facility.

“Studies have shown that when workforce participation goes up, recidivism goes down so we want to start incorporating workforce services as soon as possible,” Jones said.