TAFT, Okla. — A cosmetology program inside an Oklahoma women's prison is giving inmates the skills and the hope to build careers after release.
The R.I.S.E. program, Re-Entry Investment Student Education, operates at Eddie Warrior Correctional Center in Taft, Oklahoma. Founded in 2017 by former inmate Christie Luther, the year-long program combines textbook learning with hands-on training, so graduates leave prepared to pass state board exams.
Instructor Crystal Hemingway works chair-to-chair, coaching students through everything from root touch-ups to fades. Hemingway is herself a program graduate, having completed R.I.S.E. at Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McCloud before earning her cosmetology, barber, and master instructor licenses.
"Once I got my cosmetology license, my barber license, and then my master instructor license, this was always the plan since 2019," Hemingway said.
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Hemingway said the program has made a meaningful difference for the women she teaches.
"This has definitely given them some hope because I know it did that for me," Hemingway said.
Student Amanda Hewitt is just weeks away from release. She said signing up for the program pushed her outside her comfort zone, and she has no regrets.
"I'm going to step out of my comfort zone, and I'm going to do this. And so, lo and behold, I applied for the process, and it has been such a gratifying experience," Hewitt said.
Hewitt plans to open a salon alongside her daughter after her release.
"We could be potentially starting a two to four chair salon with my daughter, you know, salon, yeah, it'll be great. It'll just be a wonderful experience," Hewitt said.
For Hewitt, the skills she has built inside the program represent something far larger than a career.
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"It's an overwhelming thought knowing that I can transition from a state run institution and walk back into the world of free women with an opportunity to support myself with an opportunity to reintegrate and have a career. It's so rewarding," Hewitt said.
R.I.S.E. launched 8 years ago at Mabel Bassett and has since expanded to Eddie Warrior Correctional Center and a barber school in Oklahoma City.
Hemingway said the program's value goes beyond giving people a second chance.
"I mean, it's not just about second chances. Some of us, you know, it's our 3rd chance, our 4th chance, and to shine… And so why shouldn't we pour into something that gives them a productive life instead of going back to the same?" Hemingway said.
Hewitt said the program has transformed her outlook on what comes next.
"Where there was not very much hope, there is hope now," Hewitt said.
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