Thanks to the artistry and dedication of prisoners at Walker State Correctional Institution, one LaFayette doctor’s office has an eye-catching new wall display to help promote both his practice, and the prison’s still-young faith and character development program.

Dr. Aaron Ford of Ford Chiropractic recently received a custom wall hanging complete with his business logo and three anatomical drawings of the human skeleton and musculature, a perfect addition to his office’s décor. The large display, as it turns out, is actually a hand-painted sheet, carefully used as a canvas by prisoners at Walker State.

In September 2011, Walker State became the first faith and character-based prison in Georgia. The program is a voluntary opportunity for prisoners to better themselves through artistic and philosophical exploration, as well as life skills and job search training, in anticipation of their eventual release.

Now, some of the artwork and skill of the prisoners is coming out for the public to see, and Dr. Ford relates that he, his staff and all his patients are incredibly impressed with the work that was done.

“They painted a sheet white, and then they hand-painted it,” he said.

The high level of detail in the painting is impressive and speaks to the amount of time that must have gone into its creation.

Dr. Ford’s office was chosen to be the recipient of a piece of artwork thanks to the fact that one of his patients works with the prisoners at Walker State.

“She thought this office would be a good place for people to see it,” Dr. Ford said. “They’re trying to get the word out that the character development program is in place.”

For more information on the faith and character-based program, contact Walker State at 706-764-3600.