Penmate Inmate Support Guides

Programs and Work Opportunities at Lee Arrendale: From Veterinary Tech to Welding

If your loved one is at Lee Arrendale, there are real program tracks available that can help them build skills, earn academic credentials, and prepare for life after release.

• 3 min read Verified from official sources

Lee Arrendale offers both academics and counseling programs, so your loved one can work toward education goals while also building tools for long-term change. On the academic side: GED (General Equivalency Diploma), Adult Basic Education (ABE), literacy classes, and special education services. Counseling programs include Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT), Thinking for a Change, Family Violence classes, Parenting, Relapse Prevention, and Re-Entry classes. If you're trying to encourage participation, framing these as practical skill-building can help. They cover decision-making, coping strategies, and planning for life after incarceration.

Programming is tied to assessment and classification. During the diagnostic (intake) process at Lee Arrendale State Prison, staff assess each person's programming needs. That assessment helps the facility determine which academic, vocational, or cognitive programs are the best fit.

For hands-on career skills, Lee Arrendale lists a wide range of vocational and on-the-job training (OJT) options. Welding (metal fabrication) is one of the standout paths for anyone interested in the trades. There are also small engine and auto-related tracks: Small Engine Repair, Auto Mechanics, Auto Paint, and Auto Detailing. For people drawn to service and kitchen work, the facility offers Culinary Arts and Food Service vocational programming. And if your loved one does well with animal care, Lee Arrendale has a Veterinary Technician vocational program plus dog-focused options including Dog Grooming, a Guide Dog Program, and Forever Friends Dog Rescue. These programs tend to be easier to stay motivated in because the work is tangible and the skills translate directly to real-world jobs.

Worth highlighting: The Veterinary Technician program and the dog programs (Forever Friends Dog Rescue, Dog Grooming, and the Guide Dog Program) are standout hands-on tracks. They combine structured learning with practical OJT work.

Work details are another way people at Lee Arrendale can stay busy, build routines, and gain experience that supports re-entry planning. The facility lists farm operations for swine and cattle, along with general maintenance and food service work details. Lee Arrendale also lists a Hay Operation and an Equine Rescue Center as part of its work-detail offerings. For someone who prefers active, outdoor, or care-based work over a purely classroom setting, these assignments can be a much better fit.

Unique opportunities: Lee Arrendale lists both an Equine Rescue Center (work detail) and Forever Friends Dog Rescue (vocational/OJT). If your loved one connects with animal-care work, these are especially motivating options worth asking about.

  1. Talk through goals and preferences - Ask what they want to work toward right now: GED, a counseling class like Re-Entry or Relapse Prevention, or a trade such as welding, culinary, automotive, or animal-care programs.
  2. Call or email the facility for program-specific guidance - For questions about what is currently available and what the next steps are, you can contact Julie Yeargin at 706-776-4731 or julie.yeargin@gdc.ga.gov. You can also reach Warden Murray Tatum at 706-776-4800.

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