Former prisoner buys jail where he once served time for shock reason

A former inmate who once served time behind the walls of a North Carolina prison has returned as its new owner, with plans to turn it into a place for second chances.

According to WITN, Kerwin Pittman, who spent more than 11 years in the state’s prison, has bought the former Wayne Correctional Center in Goldsboro.

The prison closed in 2013 and was purchased for just under $1 million through Pittman’s non-profit organisation, the Recidivism Reduction Education Program Services (RREPS).

The purchase was made possible through donations and philanthropic support from the community.

Pittman, now the charity’s founder cum director, said the site will be transformed into a reentry housing and workforce campus for people leaving prison.

The aim is to provide transitional accommodation, job training, employment placement and education for those who want to rebuild their lives after incarceration.

"I know what it feels like to be in a dark place," he said. "If I can be a beacon of light in somebody’s life, that matters."

He said this is the first time a formerly incarcerated person has bought a prison in United States and led its conversion into a rehabilitation-focused facility.

He further said work is already under way to repurpose the site, with hopes of opening the new campus within the next two years.