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Columbia County Jail implements inmate garden project
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| Robert Ragaini/Hudson-Catskill Newspapers County Corrections Officer Michael Madison keeps watch in the background as county jail inmate Miguel Matta, under the direction of Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Donna Peterson, plants seeds in the jail's new garden Thursday. |
By Andrew Amelinckx
GREENPORT - The neatly laid out rows of earth were still empty of plants in parts on Thursday, though cabbage leaves and lettuce could be seen above the ground while inmate Miguel Matta worked to plant seeds with the help of Donna Peterson, the master gardener coordinator from the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Columbia County.
This was all part of the new Inmate Horticulture Program at the Columbia County Jail, which includes gardening, composting and general horticultural lessons taught to the inmates by master gardener volunteers.
The inmates will also get to help in maintaining the 50 by 200 foot garden located in a secure area on the facility compound. They began May 1 and have helped in the clearing, tilling and planting of the garden. A cornucopia of vegetables are being planted, including tomatoes, peppers, squash, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, green and yellow beans, rosemary, parsley, basil and lettuce.
The program is voluntary and open to both male and female inmates.
Currently, there are 11 participating.
“This is something they can use in their private lives (when they get out) and it teaches them work skills,” said Sheriff David Harrison Jr., adding that the inmates will be learning more than just vegetable gardening, but also about soil, shrubbery and trees.
The program was the brainchild of Captain John Davi, the correction division commander for the Sheriff’s Office.
“It was Captain Davi’s idea,” said Harrison
“We’ve been kicking the idea around for the last four or five months,” said Davi.
He said the inmates were enthusiastic about the new program.
“There’s not always things (for them) to do,” he said of the inmates.
The Sheriff said that in a county facility, because they house a variety of prisoners, including some high security inmates, there isn’t always a large choice of activities for them.
Which inmates are allowed to participate in based on their security classification and institutional record.
Davi said that while in the garden the inmates are accompanied by a corrections officer.
According to Harrison, the program isn’t costing the county any money, in fact the opposite.
The food grown in the garden will be used in the kitchen to feed the inmates and could help the facility save in food costs.
“We average about 120 meals three times a day,” said Davi. “Produce is expensive.”
The County Board of Supervisors has added their support of the project.
Art Baer, chairman of the board, said he congratulated Harrison and Davi on the project.
He said the project gave the inmates something to do in a budget friendly way.
“I know it will be very successful,” he said.
This type of program is allowed by the NYS Commission of Corrections, but apparently not many facilities are taking advantage of them.
“There are less than five other county jails in New York doing this,” said Harrison.
Harrison said the program wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Stephen Hadcock and Peterson from the CCE, Brian and Sue Geel from Air Compressor Plus in Ghent who lent a rototiller for a day, and Davi and Correction Officers Dan Tompkins and John Leone for their work in implementing the program.
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx please call (518) 828-1616, ext. 2267, or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com
This was all part of the new Inmate Horticulture Program at the Columbia County Jail, which includes gardening, composting and general horticultural lessons taught to the inmates by master gardener volunteers.
The inmates will also get to help in maintaining the 50 by 200 foot garden located in a secure area on the facility compound. They began May 1 and have helped in the clearing, tilling and planting of the garden. A cornucopia of vegetables are being planted, including tomatoes, peppers, squash, broccoli, cabbage, cucumbers, green and yellow beans, rosemary, parsley, basil and lettuce.
The program is voluntary and open to both male and female inmates.
Currently, there are 11 participating.
“This is something they can use in their private lives (when they get out) and it teaches them work skills,” said Sheriff David Harrison Jr., adding that the inmates will be learning more than just vegetable gardening, but also about soil, shrubbery and trees.
The program was the brainchild of Captain John Davi, the correction division commander for the Sheriff’s Office.
“It was Captain Davi’s idea,” said Harrison
“We’ve been kicking the idea around for the last four or five months,” said Davi.
He said the inmates were enthusiastic about the new program.
“There’s not always things (for them) to do,” he said of the inmates.
The Sheriff said that in a county facility, because they house a variety of prisoners, including some high security inmates, there isn’t always a large choice of activities for them.
Which inmates are allowed to participate in based on their security classification and institutional record.
Davi said that while in the garden the inmates are accompanied by a corrections officer.
According to Harrison, the program isn’t costing the county any money, in fact the opposite.
The food grown in the garden will be used in the kitchen to feed the inmates and could help the facility save in food costs.
“We average about 120 meals three times a day,” said Davi. “Produce is expensive.”
The County Board of Supervisors has added their support of the project.
Art Baer, chairman of the board, said he congratulated Harrison and Davi on the project.
He said the project gave the inmates something to do in a budget friendly way.
“I know it will be very successful,” he said.
This type of program is allowed by the NYS Commission of Corrections, but apparently not many facilities are taking advantage of them.
“There are less than five other county jails in New York doing this,” said Harrison.
Harrison said the program wouldn’t have been possible without the help of Stephen Hadcock and Peterson from the CCE, Brian and Sue Geel from Air Compressor Plus in Ghent who lent a rototiller for a day, and Davi and Correction Officers Dan Tompkins and John Leone for their work in implementing the program.
To reach reporter Andrew Amelinckx please call (518) 828-1616, ext. 2267, or e-mail aamelinckx@registerstar.com
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