Corcoran SATF inmates giving back to the community (article)

[Blue Fish]

By Kara D. Machado
Sentinel Reporter


CORCORAN - A group of eight inmates work hard each week to bring smiles to local children's faces.

These Facility D (level four, maximum security) inmates are from the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison, Corcoran (SATF). All but one is serving a life sentence. They can work for 25 cents or less an hour, in 10-hour shifts, up to five days a week, refurbishing old bikes and donating them back to the community.

In addition to the refurbished bikes, the inmates fix wheelchairs for SATF and other nearby correctional institutions. SATF Officer R.D. Walker oversees the refurbishment/repair program and says the inmates "do a good job." "They all take a lot of pride in what they do," Walker said. " ... it isn't the easiest job in the world ... it's nice to be able to give back to the community after seeing so much negativity and hassles in institution life."

The bike refurbishment program has been in operation for nearly three years. SATF Public Information Officer Kelly Santoro said Warden Derral Adams brought it to fruition. The donated bikes come from a variety of places, either from SATF employees, various police departments or community drives.

Walker has been with the program since day one. "He does an excellent job. He keeps the program going," said Santoro.

All the parts used to refurbish the bicycles come from other donated bikes. Parts that cannot be used are recycled. The money from recycling pays for paint and other supplies, such as steel wool, needed in the refurbishment process, Walker said.

"Everything is recycled except the paint, steel wool and elbow grease," he said.

SATF donates about 300 bikes per year. Santoro determines where to donate them, usually through requests from various schools in the community and police departments. Santoro, Walker and sometimes Adams, present the refurbished bikes.

When Walker receives a request, he counts the finished bikes and divides them by gender and size. "We have about 200 donated bikes right now and about 100-plus that are finished," Walker said, but "we always want bikes." Walker said the potential inmate workers come from officer recommendations or past inmate worker recommendations. Walker, in turn, interviews the candidates, specifically handpicking each individual inmate he will oversee. A big plus to be chosen, Walker said, is experience in working with tools. And, Walker said, "I don't want troublemakers."

Of course there are safety precautions taken in a program that requires inmates working with tools. Each inmate is monitored through 10 chits, little circular metal pieces that inmates hang in place of a tool they check out. Each inmate is also searched before returning to his cell. Walker said the fact that there are only eight inmates working for him also helps.

The inmates don't have daily or weekly goals, Walker said, due to unavoidable restraints such as lock-downs. Some months the inmates finish a large number of bikes and other months they don't. At this point, the eight inmates in the refurbishment program have a yearly goal of 350 finished products. "I know they'll do it," Walker said.

Inmate Toke McBride, 38, of Shasta is one of two of the eight inmates who has been with the program since it began. "I started with four others until the program got going and (in the first four months) we finished 60-plus bikes," McBride said. "Then they hired other people, then a couple more.
"Just recently, last year, we got up to eight full. Ten would be all right, given the amount of bikes we have."

McBride said his job is one of the best in the prison. "It's probably one of the few jobs around that you enjoy and want to come to every day," McBride said. "It's almost like not even having a job."

Inmate Greg Eastman, 41, of San Diego County, said he's finished approximately three bikes since he started working for the program about a month ago. "I like the program. I like working with my hands," Eastman said. "It's like playing ... like I have a hobby or something."

The inmates were initially paid between $15 and $17 a month for their work before their salaries were doubled in November, McBride said. The money earned helps pay for snacks. Since the prison food "is not the best, you have to supplement it some way," McBride said.

The inmates decide how to paint each bike. Some learn different techniques through air brush books and get creative. A small child's bike was made to look like a Harley Davidson motorcycle by one inmate and McBride was working on another creative painting project when The Sentinel visited the workshop last week. McBride said he tries not to think about where each finished bike will go, it's just on to another "quality bike made in the quickest time."

The inmates test ride each finished bike to make sure it is up to standards. McBride said there are two test rides, one after the bike is completed and one before it's loaded in the truck to be donated. Eastman said the test runs are an incentive to work hard. "It feels good to finish each bike because we get to ride them," Eastman said. "Not very far, mind you, but we get to ride them."

McBride said he takes pride in his work and likes knowing that what he's helped to create is going out to kids in need. "It's always good to give," McBride said. "When I was a kid, it would be good to have a bike. Most kids will be happy to have one of these bikes."

Eastman said each bike donated makes him feel like he's contributing back to society. "After being out of control for so long and then doing something like this with a charitable cause," Eastman said, "it feels good."

(The reporter may be reached at kmachado@pulitzer.net)

[kreepsgirl]

Thanks Amy1!