Laying in bed, reading an article about classic cars one night, Al Barlow had an idea.  If classic cars could be restored, then why not task the inmates in the auto body program at the correctional facility he runs to do just that: rebuild them.  The next day, in a magazine, he discovered a beat-up 1970 Mustang Boss 302 for sale.  He knew he had just stumbled upon the inmates' the first project.

"There it was right there in the magazine," said Barlow, the deputy warden at Bolduc Correctional Facility in Warren, Maine.  "It sounds corny, [but] that's just how it happened."

Two years, 4,000 man-hours and $18,000 later, the inmates in the Saving Cars Behind Bars program had transformed that original broken-down car into a shiny, blue collectible.

"My goal [in starting the program] was to save a car and, on the way, try to maybe save a few inmates," Barlow said.  "[I want to] give them a good resume so they can get a job when they get out that won't bring them back."

Over the two-year duration of the program's first restoration project, many different inmates worked on the car as groups of six or seven offenders at a time rotated through the six month vocational program, finishing with auto body certificates.  According to Barlow, spending some of their time each day rebuilding a classic car was a nice change of pace for the inmates in the auto body program whose mainly focus on fixing state vehicles that have been in collisions.

Brad Davis, the program's instructor, said that they all really enjoyed revamping the Mustang.

For Love of Classic Cars

"They take a lot of pride in it and they love the muscle cars and those kinds of cars," he said.

According to Barlow, inmates' interest in the type of car they were working on contributed to the success of the program.

"The reality is that, [with] a lot of these guys, [those are] the kind of cars that motivate them - the muscle cars," Barlow said.  "Actually, there's a lot of people who want to get into this program because of that."

As muscle cars go, Barlow, an admitted car buff, said that the $1800 Mustang purchased for the project for was a "very rare and desirable car."  But, it took a lot of work on the inmates' part to improve its condition.

Starting from Scratch

"The inmates did it all," said Barlow.  "The car was completely dismantled - every nut and bolt, everything on the interior, all of the fenders, the whole front.  All that was left was a shell [and], from there, we had to decide what [we] needed."

According to Barlow, that was the most challenging aspect of the project: finding all of the parts that the offenders needed to transform a run-down car into a classic collectible. 

"We ended up having to buy a few things off [of] eBay that we couldn't get anywhere else," Barlow said. 

With the right parts, however, the inmates were able to give the car a complete makeover, which included new metal, fenders and glass.  They also reupholstered the interior and even did some mechanical work.

"I've been redoing cars for quite a few years," Davis said.  "The Boss Mustang we did was the most extensive [job] I had ever been involved with."

But the many hours spent by inmates working on the car paid off for both the program and the offenders.

Building Confidence and Skills

After selling the Mustang to a broker for $35,000 on eBay, the program recouped its original costs and now has enough money to sustain itself for its next restoration project, which will be another classic car that has not yet been chosen.

"We're just taking a break right now," said Barlow.  "It was a long haul and quite stressful at times," he added.  "It will be another muscle car, [though].  I can tell you that."

While the Mustang sold for a good price, what the inmates gained from being part of a project like this can not be quantified in dollars, Barlow said. 

"I think they got a real feeling of satisfaction that they are talented and they can do other things," Barlow said.  "I think it was a real turning point for a few of these people."

In fact, Davis knows of about six offenders who were released from the facility and now work in the auto body field.  One ex-inmate is even planning on opening his own shop, he added.

But, most importantly, the inmates in the program gained sense that they are capable of accomplishing something, whether its restoring an old car or another project that comes their way.

"I think the big thing is that they get a chance to take something that nobody else in their right mind would try to restore [and rebuild it]," Davis said.  "They turned it into a $35,000 car.  It came out awesome and they know if they can do that with a car like that then just about anything is possible."

Resources:

Maine DOC (207) 287-4386