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SHELBY, N.C. – The Cleveland County Correctional Center in Shelby said inmates are lining up for a program that helps them transition back into society.

It aims to teach the inmates a trade so they don't go right back into a life of crime. But state budget cuts are threatening to shut down that program and the entire correctional facility.

"These guys are going to be released back into our community," Ryan Bralley, correctional case manager, said. "So we need to give them something to fall back on."

The Cleveland County Correctional Center is set to close on December first if the budget passes in its current form.

David Page, who learned welding in the program, was 20 years old when convicted of second-degree murder in 1997. When he's released in 29 months, Page hopes to put that skill to work instead of becoming a repeat offender.

"Other than this welding school, this trade that I just completed, I really wouldn't have anything to fall back on," Page said. "It's given me hope that I can do good and live right when I get back out there."

Nearly a dozen inmates at the facility just completed a 12-month program, getting certified in carpentry, plumbing, electrical or welding technology.

"Our hope that these individuals can be employable and transition successfully into the community," Cleveland Correctional Center Superintendent Eddie Ross said.