 Before Curry's arrival, the only work activity afforded to women prisoners was the washing and ironing of the clothes of the male prisoners.Curry introduced vocational training programs staffed by volunteers to teach the women sewing and hairdressing, established high school equivalency courses, and hired a modeling agency to offer self-improvement classes.She also pushed for women's access to the state's pre-parole center, where soon-to-be released prisoners practiced table etiquette and wearing civilian clothing.