Centre Peace offers Centre County inmates three things: the chance to learn new skills, to make a contribution to the community and maybe most importantly, to gain a new appreciation for themselves.
Centre Peace, 3013 Benner Pike, takes contributions of old furniture and household items from the community and teaches inmates the carpentry skills needed to repair and refurbish the items, Centre Peace Executive Director Thom Brewster said. Then, he said, the organization sells the items back to customers at a reasonable cost.
Centre County Correctional Facility inmates take courses designed around nonviolent conflict resolution while getting to work in the shop doing "meaningful work," he said.
The courses and sense of responsibility make a world of difference in many inmates' attitudes, Centre Peace Treasurer Peter Shaw said.
"If [inmates] want to have a good feeling about others, they first have to have a good feeling about themselves," Shaw said.
But Brewer said Centre Peace's mission of changing traditional incarceration -- just putting inmates behind bars with little contact with the outside world -- wouldn't be possible without the Penn State community.
Penn State students "flood" Centre Peace's showroom, as the summer comes to a close and students look to furnish their new homes at a reasonable cost, Brewer said.
The revenue produced from the showroom sales allows Centre Peace to continue providing inmates with opportunities to hone their interpersonal and work skills -- which Shaw said can give inmates a leg up when they get out of jail.
Centre Peace founder Marie Hamilton devoted her life to helping inmates get that leg up on life.
"I wouldn't have dedicated 33 years of my life to this if I didn't absolutely believe we have to stop thinking that just incarcerating someone is going to be helpful for them," Hamilton said.
Brewster said studies have shown that programs like Centre Peace have a noticeable effect on inmates' lives after they're released.
Penn State student groups volunteer with the organization, which Brewer said has been invaluable to the organization and has taught students a lesson or two as well.
Brewster said Centre Peace has some inmates who were former Penn State students -- something he said is especially disappointing.
"I can't tell you how many times I've heard, 'Well I was just going to sell enough weed to get through the next semester,' " Brewster said. "And then they're in jail for six months or a year with possession or intent to deliver," Brewer said.
Brewster said the Penn State students who make contributions and volunteer tirelessly for the organization are making a bigger impact than they know.
"The wardens have often said they could tell a difference in the inmates when they started going to go to Centre Peace," Hamilton said. " And there's the constant stream of families expressing how much [Centre Peace] has helped their family member."
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