Daveswife
05-29-2002, 05:03 PM
Prison program grows more than food
By LINDA MCNATT, The Virginian-Pilot
© May 20, 2002
CAPRON -- Daniel Custis had an excellent reference when he began working this year in the new greenhouse at Deerfield Correctional Center.
About 15 years ago, Custis was incarcerated in Brunswick County. A member of the yard crew there, he planted grass and flowers -- and longed for a watermelon.
Ellis Wright, Deerfield's assistant warden, was warden at Brunswick then. Wright bought seeds, gave them to Custis and watched the Eastern Shore native cultivate a 20-pound melon next to a light pole.
``He can grow anything,'' Wright said. ``He even organized his own watermelon-watch team, to make sure nobody kicked it. He'll work day and night. Pay means nothing. He shows the other guys how to do it.''
Custis, who has two more years to serve on a sentence for malicious wounding, is at the top of the greehnouse pay scale: He makes 45 cents an hour.
``I came up on the farm,'' said the gray-haired Custis, his mouth turning up in a near-toothless grin. ``I worked for a big nursery on the Eastern Shore. I like to watch things grow.''
Besides a green thumb, Custis, 60, and many of his fellow inmates have patience -- something not found in younger prisoners, said Jack Applewhite, greenhouse manager.
``A lot of people on the outside don't want to get up and go to work in the morning,'' Applewhite said. ``These guys get mad if you don't let them in.''
Deerfield is the ``geriatric'' prison in the state Department of Corrections. Inmates over 55, especially those with health problems, are sent here to finish out their sentences -- or their lives -- whichever comes first.
The Southampton County correctional facility also is home to the newest addition to the DOC's agribusiness network. A 96-foot-by-44-foot greenhouse was built last fall at a cost of about $40,000.
The greenhouse provides needed fresh produce and it offers employment; inmates are paid from 23 to 45 cents an hour.
The graying felons at Deerfield have been found guilty of ``adult'' crimes, said warden Jim Beale, ranging from murder to child molestation and larceny. Many have been in the system for years; they are repeat offenders, or lifers.
The facility, which has about 500 prisoners, has a full kitchen, a groundskeeping crew, a general housekeeping team, two academic programs, vocational training and a fully stocked library. It also has a 40-bed assisted living unit, where inmates who are able push wheelchairs and assist those who need help with daily living tasks.
Many of the older men are beginning to see age-related health problems, such as diabetes and heart trouble, Beale said. Providing them a balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables helps minimize medical costs.
In January, inmates planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and lettuce. In the first few months, the kitchen produce manager reported a cost reduction of 50 percent, Beale said.
More than 100 pounds of tomatoes are picked every other day. About 300 heads of lettuce come out of the greenhouse each week. The plants are pollinated by hand, and fertilized twice daily.
``We try not to use any pesticides,'' Applewhite said. ``We're as organic as we can possibly be.''
If the produce isn't needed at Deerfield, it's shipped elsewhere in the system or sent to the nearby flash-freezing facility at Southampton Correctional Center.
The department has been working for years to become more self-sufficient, said William H. Gillette, DOC agribusiness manager. Farms and food operations have helped cut costs dramatically.
A second large greenhouse is under construction. When it's finished, the greenhouse work crew will be increased from seven to 12, and inmates will grow vegetable and bedding plants for use at prison farms statewide.
Last year, Gillette said, the department spent $7,000 for spring plants for the farms, $10,000 in the fall and $16,000 just for strawberry plugs.
Three ``hoop houses'' -- or mini-greenhouses for bedding plants -- are going up with the new greenhouse.
The prison employment process is ``just like on the street,'' Applewhite said. He interviews the workers and looks for experience and special skills. If they do well -- they stay.
The process not only builds job skills, Applewhite said, it builds self-esteem. The work gives inmates a sense of satisfaction, and they get pats on the back from fellow inmates for providing tasty tomatoes, tender squash and crisp cucumbers.
Robert Conner, 64, gets up at 1 a.m. to check the fans and pumps in the greenhouse. The Emporia native, who's serving time for rape, is back on the job at 4.
``You name it, I growed it -- all except weed,'' said Conner. The former farmer and heavy equipment operator laughed as he glanced at the wardens. ``I didn't grow none of that, but I do enjoy watching other things grow.''
By LINDA MCNATT, The Virginian-Pilot
© May 20, 2002
CAPRON -- Daniel Custis had an excellent reference when he began working this year in the new greenhouse at Deerfield Correctional Center.
About 15 years ago, Custis was incarcerated in Brunswick County. A member of the yard crew there, he planted grass and flowers -- and longed for a watermelon.
Ellis Wright, Deerfield's assistant warden, was warden at Brunswick then. Wright bought seeds, gave them to Custis and watched the Eastern Shore native cultivate a 20-pound melon next to a light pole.
``He can grow anything,'' Wright said. ``He even organized his own watermelon-watch team, to make sure nobody kicked it. He'll work day and night. Pay means nothing. He shows the other guys how to do it.''
Custis, who has two more years to serve on a sentence for malicious wounding, is at the top of the greehnouse pay scale: He makes 45 cents an hour.
``I came up on the farm,'' said the gray-haired Custis, his mouth turning up in a near-toothless grin. ``I worked for a big nursery on the Eastern Shore. I like to watch things grow.''
Besides a green thumb, Custis, 60, and many of his fellow inmates have patience -- something not found in younger prisoners, said Jack Applewhite, greenhouse manager.
``A lot of people on the outside don't want to get up and go to work in the morning,'' Applewhite said. ``These guys get mad if you don't let them in.''
Deerfield is the ``geriatric'' prison in the state Department of Corrections. Inmates over 55, especially those with health problems, are sent here to finish out their sentences -- or their lives -- whichever comes first.
The Southampton County correctional facility also is home to the newest addition to the DOC's agribusiness network. A 96-foot-by-44-foot greenhouse was built last fall at a cost of about $40,000.
The greenhouse provides needed fresh produce and it offers employment; inmates are paid from 23 to 45 cents an hour.
The graying felons at Deerfield have been found guilty of ``adult'' crimes, said warden Jim Beale, ranging from murder to child molestation and larceny. Many have been in the system for years; they are repeat offenders, or lifers.
The facility, which has about 500 prisoners, has a full kitchen, a groundskeeping crew, a general housekeeping team, two academic programs, vocational training and a fully stocked library. It also has a 40-bed assisted living unit, where inmates who are able push wheelchairs and assist those who need help with daily living tasks.
Many of the older men are beginning to see age-related health problems, such as diabetes and heart trouble, Beale said. Providing them a balanced diet that includes plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables helps minimize medical costs.
In January, inmates planted tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and lettuce. In the first few months, the kitchen produce manager reported a cost reduction of 50 percent, Beale said.
More than 100 pounds of tomatoes are picked every other day. About 300 heads of lettuce come out of the greenhouse each week. The plants are pollinated by hand, and fertilized twice daily.
``We try not to use any pesticides,'' Applewhite said. ``We're as organic as we can possibly be.''
If the produce isn't needed at Deerfield, it's shipped elsewhere in the system or sent to the nearby flash-freezing facility at Southampton Correctional Center.
The department has been working for years to become more self-sufficient, said William H. Gillette, DOC agribusiness manager. Farms and food operations have helped cut costs dramatically.
A second large greenhouse is under construction. When it's finished, the greenhouse work crew will be increased from seven to 12, and inmates will grow vegetable and bedding plants for use at prison farms statewide.
Last year, Gillette said, the department spent $7,000 for spring plants for the farms, $10,000 in the fall and $16,000 just for strawberry plugs.
Three ``hoop houses'' -- or mini-greenhouses for bedding plants -- are going up with the new greenhouse.
The prison employment process is ``just like on the street,'' Applewhite said. He interviews the workers and looks for experience and special skills. If they do well -- they stay.
The process not only builds job skills, Applewhite said, it builds self-esteem. The work gives inmates a sense of satisfaction, and they get pats on the back from fellow inmates for providing tasty tomatoes, tender squash and crisp cucumbers.
Robert Conner, 64, gets up at 1 a.m. to check the fans and pumps in the greenhouse. The Emporia native, who's serving time for rape, is back on the job at 4.
``You name it, I growed it -- all except weed,'' said Conner. The former farmer and heavy equipment operator laughed as he glanced at the wardens. ``I didn't grow none of that, but I do enjoy watching other things grow.''