Inmates Learn Concrete Polishing in Jail

Madisonville, KY, Sept. 15, 2014 -- Hopkins County Jail was looking for a solution to replace tiles throughout the facility when head jailer Joe Blue decided polished concrete was a viable option.

Blue began looking at concrete floor grinders and polishers and realized that he could also provide an opportunity for the inmates to develop a skill they could use after they have left prison.

Blue chose a Werkmaster system.

Inmates in the jail's Community Service program are now benefiting from training in the use of the WerkMaster Raptor XT under the supervision of Sgt. Billy Thomas and Deputy Donnie Barnett, who attended WerkMaster's Certified Concrete Polishing Training School at Braxton-Bragg in Knoxville, Tennessee.

WerkMaster training opportunities at the jail are going to be expanded. The jail has just constructed a new inmate training facility and another group of inmates is going to learn to use the machine.

The first job after receiving the training from Braxton-Bragg started earlier this year when inmates worked on the floor in an area being converted into a break room at the jail.

They are set to polish about 1,000 square feet of floor at a new Humane Society facility in the county, and in January, they’ll work on a 2,000 square-foot project at their local fairgrounds.