North Carolina Department of Correction news release

Gov. Hunt Wants to Put Another 300 Inmates To Work Adding Road Squads

FEBRUARY 17, 1997

RALEIGH --Gov. Jim Hunt will put another 300 inmates to work adding road squads at three medium security prisons and creating new road squad programs at two planned medium security prisons.

"We want inmates to know they'll work when they come to prison," said state Correction Secretary Mack Jarvis. "Since the 1930s, North Carolina inmates have worked along state highways clearing brush and cleaning drainage ditches to help insure highway safety."

Hunt's 1997-99 budget adds four road squads at Warren Correctional Institution, four squads at Hyde Correctional Center and one squad at Wayne Correctional Center.

New road squad programs will be created at medium security prisons now under construction in Stanley County and on the Avery and Mitchell county line. Each of these new prisons will put eight squads of inmates to work.

Three correctional officers supervise each squad of twelve men in clearing brush and removing debris along state highways. They receive daily work assignments from Department of Transportation staff.

Twelve new medium security road squads will go to work this year. The new Warren Correctional Institution will put eight squads to work when it opens. Hyde Correctional Center, another new prison, will put four squads to work.

In 1996, medium custody road squad inmates worked 1,036,637 hours.

Minimum custody prisoners also work for the Department of Transportation. DOT employees are trained as agents and supervise the minimum custody squads. Last year, DOT employees worked minimum custody prisoners 1,708,896 hours.

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