|
|
| County restricting use of inmate labor |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 11/07/2005 |
|
After statewide concerns of Mississippi inmate abuse, prisoners in Bolivar County will no longer be washing the cars of county employees and private citizens, officials said. Since a meeting led by Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps in June, Bolivar County Sheriff H.M. "Mack" Grimmett said that he has been watching the issue closely. "Until the MDOC and the Mississippi State Audit Department changes their position on this issue, we're not going to allow it," Grimmett said. Inmates are no longer able to - or required to - perform any work for private individuals or county employees. As of July 5, this kind of activity has been eliminated by an amendment to Senate Bill 2747, which prohibits the use of inmates for private purposes, said County Administrator Adrian Brown. Before the decision came down, cars were being washed at the correctional facility and at both local courthouses, Brown said. Tommy Taylor, the warden of the Bolivar County Regional Correctional Facility, is in the process of creating new policies to help inmates who are participating in a Vo-Tech program, but any vocational measures must be approved by the state DOC and related agencies. The Vo-Tech program is important to inmates and helps rehabilitate and prepare them for release, Brown said. It also saves the county money, because many inmates are skilled at things like plumbing, carpentry, or electrical work, Brown said. But inmate car washes are currently labeled as inmate abuse and do not meet Vo-Tech criteria. "We would like to encourage all county employees to seriously consider these issues and refrain from any practice that will endanger the good standing of the Bolivar County Sheriff's Department or the correctional facility," Brown said. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think