Former Baltimore inmates to take part in pilot deconstruction program
The Barclay Deconstruction and Reclamation pilot project is designed to take on two of the city’s most pressing problems: decrepit abandoned buildings and large numbers of released former convicts. Baltimore, Maryland puts more people in jail per capita than any other city in America—more than 4,000 every day, most of them for minor drug-related offenses—with a disproportionate number of them black and under the age of 35. The recidivism rate of released inmates is about 75%, except where they are given a new start by programs and training, which is where the Barclay Deconstruction and Reclamation pilot project comes in.
Prisoners who enter the program are taught to dismantle buildings for materials recycling and initially employed by the city to take down the abandoned buildings. The men are trained to properly handle asbestos and toxic materials, and to dismantle as opposed to demolish, creating less waste and more reusable building materials. It’s greener, it’s healthier for the community and the environment, it’s sustainable, and it gives former inmates well-paying, meaningful work, which has been shown to reduce the recidivism rate to 25%, a statistic that will be reflected in the city’s crime rate. What’s more, some of the program graduates are already being hired away to work in the private sector.
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