County Agencies, Community Groups Help Inmates Gain Life Skills Through Gardening
As news headlines continue to warn of rising food prices increasing the burden of cash-strapped consumers, some seeds of good fortune are being planted in the most unlikely of places.
A team of inmates starting up the garden.
A small group of inmates at the county jail have begun to plant radishes, onions, potatoes and spinach on the correctional center grounds at the Upper Marlboro facility.
Once harvested, the vegetables will be distributed to the homeless and needy senior citizens.
“This is a great way to give back to the community,” said Alfred J. McMurray, Sr., director of the Prince George’s County Department of Corrections in a recent statement.
The effort was McMurray’s idea and is the corrections center’s first foray into agriculture.
“At the same time as they are providing food to the community, the inmates who are involved in planting, tending and gathering of the harvest will gain new experiences. It’s also great to see several agencies working together to make this project a reality,” McMurray said.
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Gardening teamwork.
In addition to the corrections department, the program got off the ground with help from the Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation Department, the Neighborhood Design Center, and the county Departments of Public Works and Transportation and Environmental Resources.
The agencies provided tools, expertise and seeds to get started.
The county jail has a population of about 1,450 inmates and so far about four are taking part in the planting.
Corrections spokeswoman Vicki Duncan said the garden program is an extension of programs that allow inmates to work in the community cleaning streets and landscaping. All the inmates involved pose minimum security risks, said Duncan adding that all planting is done on the corrections’ grounds under an officer’s supervision.
“The other partners like park and planning came for the planting and they showed the guys how to do everything,” she said.
Weather permitting; Duncan expects the crop offerings will expand to include beans, okra, squash, peppers, and tomatoes.
“We have plenty of room inside the fence,” she said.
--PGS Staff
Photos courtesy of the Prince George's County Department of Corrections
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