It's not just stamping license plates anymore.

Many Kentucky inmates are getting some real job experience.

Kentucky Correctional Industries, a division of the Department of Corrections, is allowing inmates to learn a trade they can carry with them back into society.

Daniel Kemp found out as he headed inside one state facility in his special assignment, "Convicted Carpenters."

They're not trying to escape.

But what they are doing, you probably wouldn't expect.

"We generate a product to sell for revenue to keep our plants in operation," said Mark O'Neal, director of Green River Correctional's Kentucky Correctional Industries.

It's cutting, coating and crafting wood furniture that keeps more than 100 inmates busy at Green River Correctional in Central City, Ky.

"I'm privileged to be able to put furniture together and I enjoy doing just that," assured inmate Kerry Smith, an employee for KCI.

A licensed carpenter before heading to prison in 1994 for a sex charge, Kerry Smith likes working with his hands.

"To be able to put something together and be proud of it when it comes to the end--that's a good achievement," he added.

And just down the assembly line, inmate Perry Brockman is no stranger to woodwork either.

"It's a good place for a guy like myself who did this type of work before. It keeps you in the norm of things," Brockman said.

But Brockman, locked up on an assault charge, says it's a love of the job and a family work ethic that keeps him going each day.

"That was the first things my dad asked me when I got to Green River was, 'What do they got to do that you can work?' And this is the first thing that I found that was close to what I did on the street," he said.

Doing this kind of work is one of the most desired jobs among inmates, with some workers able to make nearly a dollar an hour.

"Me, myself, I help my family. Whatever I make, half goes home," Smith said.

But getting in is far from a simple process.

"They fill out an application, and they come-in for a one-on-one interview. We have a set form of questions they answer and how they answer is how they're selected," O'Neal explained.

"They look for the best. You're screened good and if you don't work out you just don't work out," Smith added.

Still inmates are never shy, of a watchful eye.

"We give them the knowledge and the tools and we supervise them--not standing over their back," O'Neal assured.

Until they use those tools to make it out, to the other side.

"My plan is going back to work and not making the mistakes that got me in here," Brockman said.

Mark O'Neal adds customers continually compliment pricing and the quality of the furniture.

Any of the furniture is available to the general public.

To take a look at more of the products and services offered and learn how you can even make purchases, click here.