DENVER — Against the backdrop of one of Colorado’s vast mountain ranges sits a lively leather shop where, for many workers, who happen to be incarcerated, the work feels like freedom.
“We’re out here 40 hours a week. I mean, so while we’re out here, we like to say we’re not in prison, because we’re out here working in as close to a real-world job as you’re going to get,” Ryan Krueger, the lead saddle builder and team trainer for the leather shop. “I’ve been with the leather shop for 13 years now. We primarily build saddles for different manufacturers.”
The leather shop inside Fremont Correctional Facility is an inmate-run vocational program under Colorado Correctional Industries. Incarcerated craftsmen handcraft custom leather goods, including western saddles, horse tack, law enforcement gear, and everyday accessories, according to the report…