Low-level inmates in the Cook County (Illinois) jail are afforded an opportunity that may have a positive impact on their lives when they are released. The Cook County Sheriff’s garden program has been in existence for 17 years. The program allows inmates to get out of their cells for a few hours a day to garden. Beside having a calming affect on most inmates, the 1,700 pound bounty from the garden helps food banks and churches feed those who otherwise could not afford such items.
Non-profits are not the only customers, however. Produce planted and nurtured by the hands of inmates will be eaten with forks held by the hands of diners at pricey restaurants in the Chicago area. Selling the inmate-grown produce generated approximately $3,000 this summer. The money went right back into the gardening program, allowing more supplies and equipment to be bought. Interestingly, during the 17 years the program has been in existence, there has never been a theft of any gardening tool.
Four hundred fifty inmates have passed through the gardening program over the years and the outcome has been impressive. Sheriff David Devane conceived the idea for the garden program, and has since moved on to lead the Department of Community Supervision and Intervention. Devane points with pride that in a county where recidivism rates are higher than the rest of Illinois, the recidivism rate for graduates of the gardening program was 13.8 in 2008.
Program graduates take something with them when they leave - a certificate from the University of Illinois Extension that proclaims them to be master gardeners. Inmates selected for the gardening program participate in a 10 week course that the University devised . The course offers classes in botany, and the harmful or helpful roles insects play in a garden. Inmates learn about different types of soil, which previously, for most participants, was something they just walked on, without giving a second thought.
The gardening program is run by Sheriff John Taft, who took the same gardening course the inmates are required to take. Taft’s job is more of a labor of love. Not only does he run the program, but he promotes buying inmate-grown produce to top restaurants. But, he doesn’t just stop there. When the produce is picked he delivers it fresh to the restaurants so that it can appear in dishes to be eaten later that day. Master chefs who use the produce appreciate the freshness and quality. Along with the names of other local farms that provide vegetables, the Publican restaurant lists the name of the Cook County Jail Garden as a supplier, a fact that that diners do not seem to mind.
The garden program has side benefits, too. It teaches inmates about fresh vegetables and herbs, and how to eat healthier. The Chicago Tribune reports that one program participant had never eaten a tomato before, the closest he ever came to doing so was eating packets of catsup from fast-food restaurants. Beside giving inmates in the program an opportunity for fresh air and a new appreciation of vegetables, there is the optimism that graduates will be able to find jobs when they reenter their communities. John Taft hopes that perhaps Cook County Jail produce customers, such as the four-star restaurant Charlie Trotter’s, might offer a graduate a job. Taft will continue to sell the idea of hiring formerly incarcerated graduates as well as he sells the products they produce.
Source: Chicago Tribune
|
|
|
|
