In an ideal world, people convicted of crimes would leave prison better people than when they entered, ready to contribute rather than take. At two Texas prisons, hands-on work with Microsoft products is putting many inmates on that very path.

The Wynne Prison Unit in Huntsville, north of Houston, and the Daniel Unit in Snyder, south of Lubbock, each have computer recovery programs in which inmates refurbish old PCs for donation to schools. Over nine years, some 26,000 computers – each loaded with a licensed copy of Windows made possible by Microsoft’s Fresh Start for Donated PCs program – have shipped from these facilities to Texas schools.

That’s a great story in itself. But the work has also inspired numerous inmates to go beyond just assembly, often including Microsoft certification. Many offenders have capitalized on Microsoft training to turn their lives around after release, said Bob Stoudt, facilities manager at Wynne, who oversees the computer recovery program at the Wynne unit.

“Here are just two success stories: One former offender is MCSE certified, discharged in April 2007,” Stoudt said. “He got a job in Houston as a systems engineer, working for a good company, making a good wage and an honest living, and loving every minute of it. Another former inmate went to San Antonio and started a company helping people doing small stuff with their PCs. He started doing real well, so he started a second business. Now he hires guys who’ve come through our facility after their release.”