You probably don’t use the words “sustainability” and “prison” in the same sentence very often. The housing and feeding of inmates requires huge amounts of water and energy, though, and generates tons of waste. The Sustainable Prisons Project, a partnership between the Washington State Department of Corrections and the Evergreen State College, works to make prisons more efficient… and perhaps even reduce recidivism rates by providing “green collar” training to inmates.
Started in 2004 as a simple project to use dwindling water resources at the Cedar Creek Corrections Center more efficiently, the project now involves food production, recycling, composting, and even beekeeping. Plans for the project include not only building on progress at Cedar Creek, but also expanding the program to three other facilities. The program is even working with national organizations like the Nature Conservancy to protect and restore endangered prairie perennials.
DOC officials see the project as a true win-win: not only can the system save money, but also address mental health challenges and recidivism among inmates by providing them with meaningful work that engages them in issues which extend beyond the prison walls.
Is it time to start using “sustainability” and “prison” in the same sentence more often? Is this a sensible investment in both resource efficiency and prisoner rehabilitation? Let us know what you think…
via Examiner.com and Evergreen Magazine
Images credit: Benjamin Drummond / bendrum.com Used with permission
August 8th, 2009 - 1:53 pm
Thank you for giving a second chance for prisoners and a second chance to save the earth
August 8th, 2009 - 1:54 pm
I think it sounds fine, better than breaking rocks into pebbles or pressing license plates or whatever it is they do these days. Although I’m fairly certain someone somewhere would have a problem with it somehow…
August 11th, 2009 - 1:10 am
This seems fair to me. I’d say why not make the prison systems more self sufficient and energy independent. There has to be a way for the prison system to become more of a producer rather than a consumer.
This is a good start.
August 12th, 2009 - 2:54 am
teaching even the prisoners that going green is good.
September 3rd, 2009 - 7:26 pm
The problem with prison work and “work training” is that they’re permitted to earn as little as $0.20 an hour, and most max out around $1.45 an hour. They’re also charged exorbitant prices, like $5 for a bar of soap, and often not permitted to opt out of working for such little pay. This “green collar” work is a good idea, but unless it’s coupled with a pay increase, it just means one more industry that can be “internally outsourced” to prisons, like many manufacturing jobs and call centers are. Green jobs and increased sustainability are good, but they’re also one of the few growth areas in the country. If prisoners start taking over those jobs, many of them will become unavailable to non-inmates, meaning that not only will average people be out of a job, but the inmates themselves will be unable to use the training they get once they get out of prison.