As persons enter the lobby of the Winston County Annex and look to the right, they will see a magnificent example of master woodworking, a bench constructed by inmates at the Winston-Choctaw County Regional Correctional Facility (WCCRCF). According to Warden Neal Higgason, five inmates, with a work assignment since July 2021 in a sawmill on the facility’s grounds, helped make the bench.
Higgason stated there were some construction projects that needed to be done on the grounds; however, the cost of lumber was exorbitant. Although working with a limited budget, Higgason was able to purchase the sawmill with inmate education funds. The process will allow inmates to learn a valuable skill for when they are released in the future, and it will benefit the facility as well.
Higgason said the correctional facility recently sent one inmate to the Mississippi State Penitentiary to receive his certification as a carpenter and will also allow him to teach carpentry. They are also in the process of developing a carpentry class at the WCCRCF facility.
The bench, which was Higgason's idea, was placed in the lobby within the past month. The slab for the seat is pine, made from wood donated by Higgason, and the legs are white oak from trees that were on the facility’s grounds. The bench adds a true focal point to the Annex lobby.
