COLUMBIA, S.C. (WSPA) — You might not be aware, but the road signs you see while driving and the license plate on your vehicle may have been manufactured inside a prison in South Carolina.
At Broad River Correctional, a maximum-security facility in Columbia, 18 inmates produce 800,000 license plates annually for South Carolina.
That’s just the beginning of the work they do.
In the Tag Plant and Sign Shop, a team of 30 inmates works on stamping metal, operating advanced laser cutters, constructing road signs, creating custom furniture, and fulfilling special orders for colleges and state agencies.
It’s all through a work program run by the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
“They move from station to station; one day, a guy might be cutting stop signs, and another day he could be working on the same machine or the plasma cutter. It’s all about gaining experience and shifting to different roles within the plant,” said Joel Anderson, Deputy Director of Operations at the South Carolina Department of Corrections.
Anderson emphasized that the aim is not only product creation but also paving a path for a promising future for the inmates. South Carolina is already making strides in this area, with some of the lowest recidivism rates in the nation, according to the Department of Corrections.
Through their full-time employment, inmates are taught skills in manufacturing, design, communication, and teamwork, all of which can aid in securing jobs once they leave prison.
Kevin Shwedo, the Executive Director from the South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles said the DMV depends on the work happening inside these prison walls.
“Without them, we wouldn’t have an opportunity to meet the customer demand,” he said.
Anderson said inmates are treated like employees. They have responsibilities like showing up for work early, meeting deadlines, and rotating between machines and tasks to build experience.
“What these guys do relates right back to when they get out. [They said] ‘I’m not coming back.’ Why? ‘Because I’m going to work.’ Why? Because I’ go to work every morning at 5:00 in the morning. I get off every afternoon at 3:30-4:00 in the afternoon,’ and it teaches them that the skill set that we need to teach,” Anderson said.
He added, the work these inmates do isn’t just routine, it’s essential. When South Carolina faced historic flooding several years ago, this prison shop worked around the clock to help the Department of Transportation and Highway Patrol replace hundreds of signs washed away by the storms.
“We worked in this plant 36 hours straight, just so the state would have enough signs to keep people safe,” Anderson said.
Inmates will soon begin producing a new commemorative DMV license plate marking 250 years since the American Revolution. Created in partnership with the South Carolina DMV, the plate—like all others in the state—will be manufactured by inmates.
Anderson said the program not only saves taxpayer dollars, but it also gives inmates a rare opportunity: the chance to leave prison with real job skills, and a path forward to reach a successful life afterwards.
