Derrek Builds A Career In Prison And After Release

We are thrilled to share the success story of one of our resident’s in the Spokane Residential Reentry Center (SRRC). At the age of 21, Derrek had convictions for drugs and drug relate offenses. He served time in prison, but started to build his career while incarcerated. He chose to make positive changes in his life and worked very hard to successfully achieve his goals.

Derrek started by immediately getting work in the prison wood shop and eventually moved into the electrical apprenticeship training program.  This took a year of waiting and maintaining proper behavior. After Derrek graduated from the program, he came to the SRRC where he started applying for work and was hired quickly by an electrical company that saw the potential in him. They put him to work gaining hours and knowledge while he filed to take his journeyman electrician’s test. 

John Barrett, SRRC case manager, stated, “Derrek successfully passed and is a licensed journeyman electrician in the state of Idaho. He will soon to be licensed in the state of Washington. This is quite an accomplishment for anyone, much less someone that started while he was incarcerated and going through extra requirements.”

Mr. Barrett continued, “From the time he arrived at SRRC, Derrek has had very solid goals that he wanted to reach. He didn’t care about the time line or what challenges he had to go through – that did not stop him. He now runs a crew and is in charge of several people. Derrek plans on going further with the knowledge he gained and is an inspiration for all of us.”

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Derrek’s Story
“My name is Derrek and in 2018 I had to face the music about my past and started serving a 10-year minimum/mandatory federal prison sentence. That was an overwhelming burden on my life and I was really disappointed in myself. To be completely honest – I was really angry at myself.  I knew from the very beginning that I wanted to make the best of a bad situation and here is my story:

When I first showed up to prison, I immediately asked around about what this place had to offer for education, college or apprenticeships. I was told that there were very few opportunities and it’s all about getting yourself to where the opportunities are, which turned out to be the Central Maintenance Service (CMS) department. Basically, CMS manages the work trades in the prison. There happened to be an opening in the wood shop tool room. I went there and applied, and found that I officially had a job before I even went to orientation.

It was a good start to get my foot in the door, but I still had no clue what I really wanted to pursue as a career. For now, it was about being disciplined by showing up on time every day and building a solid name for myself to eventually be able to make my move to better things.

Choosing a Career
As time went on, I moved up in the wood shop world and actually learned a lot about building cabinets (full kitchen and laundry rooms) for Habitat for Humanity. Eventually, there was an opening in the HVAC shop, and seeing how that was an actual trade, I decided to shoot my shot and I was hired onto the HVAC crew.  I earned my 608 Certification in HVAC as it is a mandatory credential and began to dig into the book work. This was when I realized that an electrician’s work was where I wanted to be. To make a long story much shorter, I found my opportunity to get into the electrical shop and began the apprenticeship program. Along with going to work every day and earning my hours, I utilized the education offered by the education department at the prison.

I made good use of my time by learning from the “hands-on work” of our daily tasks and numerous projects we took on under the supervision of a journeyman electrician. During downtime in the shop, we would dive into the Mike Holt Electrical Training curriculum and learned about the National Electric Code, how to use it, and why it is so important. During “lockdowns” and COVID I used my time by hitting the books and taking practice tests; all in an effort to have a solid direction when I was released and entered the halfway house. I set my short term goals and my long term goals.

When I finally made it to the halfway house (Spokane Residential Reentry Center operated by Pioneer Human Services), I was ready and determined to follow through with my education. I hit the ground running.”

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Mr. Barrett stated, “I also worked with Derrek on practicing patience. The time it takes to get things done going through the Bureau of Prisons is much greater than normal. He has done well with being patient. Derrek learned from the start that open communications and thoughtful planning were key to making progress.”

“Since Derrek didn’t have to do treatment, we focused on setting up his home confinement and getting him to see his family as soon as possible. He is highly goal-oriented and driven to succeed,” Mr. Barrett concluded.

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Derrek continued, “The first thing I got was a driver’s license and I applied for jobs. If you are willing to work hard and be on time you will get hired. I was quickly given a chance and I now work like I have something to prove. It matters a lot to me.

Becoming a Journeyman Electrician
I gathered up all of my apprenticeship completion certificates, verifications and in-class training needed to apply to take the 01 Washington Journeyman Exam to become a licensed electrician. The company I now work for, Lite It Up Electric, keeps me very busy, but I made it a point to study the Mike Holt Electrical Training program while I waited for the approval to take the test. Once I was approved, I was able to schedule my test which I passed on the first try! It was very exciting! A lot of work went into this effort so my passing the test makes it all very rewarding.

I’m knocking off one goal at a time and I’m not finished yet. I am continuing to stay focused, working hard and keep leveling up until I get where I want to be. The main point is that anything is possible!”