By: Essex County Sheriff Coppinger – 8-26
Have you tried finding a plumber lately?
If you’ve had a leaking pipe, a broken water heater, or a plumbing emergency, you already know the answer. It can take days or even weeks to get someone to your house.
The reality is that Massachusetts has a serious shortage of skilled plumbers. In fact, we’re often told there are more doctors than plumbers in the state. As experienced tradespeople retire, there simply aren’t enough young people entering the profession to replace them.
That shortage got me thinking.
At the Essex County Sheriff’s Department, we have men who will one day return to our communities looking for a fresh start. Many want to work and support their families. What they often don’t have is a marketable skill that opens the door to a good-paying career.
What if we could help solve both problems at the same time?
That question led to the creation of our Tier 1 Plumbing Certification Program, and recently I had the privilege of watching 10 men become the first graduates of the first correctional facility-based plumbing training program in Massachusetts.
For some people, they simply earned a certificate.
I see something much bigger.
I see 10 men who now have a real opportunity to leave our facility with a skill that employers desperately need, a trade they can build a career around, and a way to support themselves and their families.
After nearly 40 years in law enforcement, I’ve learned that most people leaving incarceration don’t want to come back. During my years with the Lynn Police Department, I saw the same people cycle through the criminal justice system again and again. Many wanted a different life, but they lacked the education, skills, or opportunities to make that change.
That’s why, when I became Sheriff, I believed we had to think differently.
Funded through a $1.2 million grant from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center, participants completed 110 hours of classroom instruction and 40 hours of hands-on training inside a two-story plumbing training house at our Lawrence Pre-Release and Re-Entry Center. They learned by doing — installing water heaters, building bathrooms, and completing residential plumbing systems from start to finish.
One graduate made a decision that has stayed with me.
He was eligible for early parole but chose to remain in custody long enough to finish the plumbing program.
Think about that for a moment.
He believed the opportunity to build a career was worth more than getting out a little sooner.
That decision says everything about the value of opportunity.
Of course, earning a certificate is only the beginning. The real challenge often starts after someone walks out the door.
That’s why we partnered with Volunteers of America Massachusetts to provide up to a year of post-release support. Graduates receive job placement assistance, transportation, case management, financial help to continue earning certifications, and a professional toolbox to help launch their careers.
We’re not simply handing someone a certificate and wishing them luck. We’re giving them every opportunity to succeed.
During the graduation ceremony, instructor Michael Bloomer said something that perfectly captured what this program is all about:
“You earned something bigger than this certificate. You earned the opportunity to create your pathway within this critical trade. Your future is in front of you, and it’s your turn to write the next chapter.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Programs like this aren’t about being soft on crime. They’re about being smart on public safety.
The overwhelming majority of people in our custody will one day return to our neighborhoods. We all have a stake in whether they return with nothing or with the skills and support needed to build an honest living.
Every time someone leaves our facility with a pathway to employment, we reduce the likelihood they’ll return to the criminal justice system. We strengthen families, help employers fill critical jobs, and make our communities safer.
That’s what this program is really about.
It’s not just teaching plumbing. It’s about building futures, creating second chances, and making Essex County a safer place for all of us.
Kevin F. Coppinger is the Sheriff of Essex County and a former Lynn Police Chief with more than four decades in law enforcement. He oversees the Middleton Jail and House of Correction, the Essex County Pre-release and Re-entry Center in Lawrence, the Women in Transition facility in Salisbury, and the Supporting Transitions and Re-entry community-based programs in Lynn and Lawrence.
The Essex County Sheriff’s Department supports communities across the county through corrections, re-entry, and public safety programs focused on reducing recidivism and improving the quality of life in our neighborhoods. ◊