PHOTO | TROY HULL

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden announced the launch of Ausie's Barbershop, North Carolina's first barber academy for a county detention facility. The shop is named for Ausie Rivens, Cornelius' first black barber.

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At Ausie’s Barbershop, young offenders can leave behind a criminal past for a marketable future a haircut at a time.

Mecklenburg County Sheriff Garry McFadden officially opened the shop – named for Ausie Rivens, Cornelius’ first black barber – and North Carolina’s first barber program in a county detention facility on Monday. The five-chair shop gives inmates an opportunity to learn a trade while providing an avenue to restorative justice.

“Classes start today,” McFadden said. …“We’re going to see where this goes. I think this is great. The young men, they were excited. We talked about it all week, we talked about it last week, so we’re giving them a chance, and sometimes the first chance.”

The academy is the culmination of an idea by former sheriff Irwin Carmichael during his time in office. When McFadden beat Carmichael in last year’s Democratic primary, McFadden became its advocate.

“[McFadden] believes in these kids, he believes in our population and he believes in the folk who work here at the Sheriff’s Office,” said Keith Cradle PhD, director of youth programs at Detention Center North on Statesville Road. “Without his vision, we can’t get this done.”

Students will undergo 1,500 hours of training over a 13-month period in order to earn a state license. If they leave county custody before completing the program, NC Works will pay their tuition at another barber school. The goal is to reduce recidivism by giving young offenders a chance to become productive members of their communities with marketable skills.

“They’ll come back ready to start a business,” said Mecklenburg County Commissioner George Dunlap. “Not just take a job, but start a business. I think that’s important when we start to recognize that most businesses and most communities grow because of small businesses. It’s an opportunity to say to our community here is somebody who’s served their time, made restitution and are now prepared to help our community grow.”

Students will get practical experience in the jail, McFadden said. The services won’t be available to the public, but graduates will need advocates and mentors once they’re released.

“We haven’t gotten to the point where the community can come in and get their hair cut, but they can still support it,” McFadden said. “They can talk to their barber and say ‘hey, why don’t you take one of these young men after they leave the barber school?’ We’re looking for barbers to accept these young men in the city, but you have to support the city initiative like Cops & Barbers and everything else. These are the initiatives we need to support.”

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