The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections is launching a tattoo apprenticeship program at SCI Frackville to give inmates an opportunity to learn the tattooing trade and develop skills for employment after their release.
The department is seeking a tattoo artist with at least three years of professional and supervisory experience to provide 32 to 40 hours of instruction each week for two years.
The instructor would have the option to renew the contract for up to three additional one-year terms.
According to the Department of Corrections, the program will provide “a structured and safe opportunity to learn the tattooing trade” while helping participants prepare for employment after release. Frackville is located in Schuylkill County.
Applicants can submit requests for proposals, in which they can propose a salary for the program.
The instructor will teach safety and sanitation to reduce the number of health risks associated with illicit tattooing, and give inmates information on licensing, employment and the “professional tattoo industry” following release, the department said.
Inmates will move from a classroom setting to paper practice, to tattooing on human skin once the instructor decides they have “demonstrated the required competency” and been approved by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections.
Maria Bivens, a corrections spokesperson, said the number of apprentices has yet to be decided.
The program is inspired by the James T. Vaughn Correctional Center’s tattoo apprenticeship program in Delaware, Bivens said.
Kelly Evans, executive deputy secretary for community corrections, reentry and parole field services, said the program will allow inmates to specialize in a trade in a structured and professional environment.
“We will continually explore opportunities to provide incarcerated individuals with relevant, in-demand skills that can help them successfully transition back into their communities,” Evans said.
Comments under the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections Facebook post promoting the program showed artists excited and engaged.
Bivens said at least two tattoo parlors have already expressed interest in mentoring at SCI Frackville.
But Keith McCafferty, who has been tattooing professionally for almost 16 years, said the program may not be such a great idea.
“It’d be great to teach them a creative outlet, but I don’t know if tattooing is a great choice,” said McCafferty, who works at Sinners & Saints Tattoo Shop in Shadyside.
He said tattooing should be taught one-on-one, not in a group setting.
“I don’t think tattoo school is a good idea,” he said. “Tattooing is an individual experience… it requires more of a personal experience being taught, as well.”
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The deadline to ask questions about the program is Oct. 19, and the deadline to submit request for proposals is Oct. 21, Bivens said.
Applicants will need to complete a security and background screening process — including a Prison Rape Elimination Act background check — must have a high school diploma or equivalent, and current OSHA-compliant Bloodborne Pathogen certification. Additional experience in vocational instruction, covering existing tattoo art, operating a tattoo studio or working in a correctional environment is preferred.