Ohio inmates get a chance to earn a CDL-A with prison training program

An Ohio prison is offering incarcerated people a second chance with their Commercial Driver’s License (CDL) program.

For the past decade, the Richland Correctional Institution (RiCI) has offered inmates a chance to better their lives when they finish their sentences through their CDL training program.

RiCI offers inmates a four week training program that allows then to earn an Ohio CDL Class A license through a partnership with Capital Transportation.

According to the RiCI website, the CDL training offered at the facility is a “career enhancement program” that allows inmates to take the written exam for a CDL. After the written exam is successfully completed, the incarcerated person then takes part in a four week training program. Officials say that the program includes 40 hours of instructional classroom work followed by three weeks of pre-trip vehicle inspection, maneuverability, and road testing.

Similar CDL training programs are available in other prison facilities, including in the Mississippi Department of Corrections and at the Santa Rosa Correctional Institution in Florida.

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