NC Department of Correction -- News release -- Road squads work 1 million hours

RALEIGH -- Under the supervision of armed correctional officers, medium security prisoners worked more than 1 million hours for the Department of Transportation last year.

"Putting inmates to work benefits everyone," Correction Secretary Mack Jarvis said. "Prisoners develop a work routine and provide a workforce that tackles demanding jobs. Our roads are safer because prisoners have cleared right-of-way brush and cleaned drainage ditches."

Each year, the Departments of Correction and Transportation sign an agreement to put prisoners to work. Transportation engineers assign the tasks to the prison road squads. Then correctional officers transport the work squads to the job site, supervise them at work and return them to prison at the end of the workday.

Squads from 29 prisons worked a total of 1,107,458 hours in 1997. Crews from three prisons worked more than 100,000 hours in 1997. Road squad inmates from Pender Correctional Institution worked 125,497 hours. Crews from Columbus Correctional Institution worked 107,093 hours and Brown Creek Correctional Institution 100,859 hours.

"Most inmates want to get out and work. They want to get away from the prison for the day," J.R. Hunt, superintendent of Columbus Correction Institution said. "They pick up litter, they do ditching, shrubbing and a hundred other things. They make a big contribution."

More road squads were put to work with the opening of two new medium security prisons last year. Squads from Hyde Correctional Center at Swan Quarter began working in July 1997. At Warren Correctional Institution at Warrenton, the squads began working in October 1997.

Medium security road squad operations ended at five prisons last year. Davie and Rockingham correctional centers closed and Alexander, Scotland and Yadkin prisons were converted from medium to minimum security. The three converted prisons now assign prisoners to work in the Community Work Program helping local governments and public agencies.

INMATES WORKING -- MEDIUM CUSTODY ROAD SQUADS
PRISON	NUMBER OF WORKERS	HOURS WORKED IN 1997	COUNTIES SERVED
Alexander Correctional Center¹	16	1,853	Alexander, Caldwell
Avery Correctional Center	24	10,852	Avery
Brown Creek Correctional Institution	96	100,859	Anson, Richmond
Caswell Correctional Center	76	73,138	Alamance, Caswell, Orange, Person
Columbus Correctional Center	84	107,093	Brunswick. Columbus
Craggy Correctional Center	48	56,363	Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, Madison
Currituck Correctional Center	36	25,641	Camden, Currituck, Pasquotank
Davie Correctional Center²	12	8,867	Davie, Rowan
Franklin Correctional Center	24	27,288	Franklin, Granville, Vance, Warren
Harnett Correctional Institution	36	33,920	Cumberland, Harnett, Lee
Hoke Correctional Institutiton	24	15,700	Hoke, Moore
Hyde Correctional Center³	48	25,461	Beaufort, Hyde, Tyrrell, Washington,
Iredell Correctional Center	16	10,154	Iredell, Rowan
Johnston Correctional Center	48	73,175	Johnston, Wake, Wayne
Lincoln Correctional Center	48	29,414	Catawba, Gaston, Lincoln, Mecklenburg
Lumberton Correctional Center	96	66,559	Robeson
Odom Correctional Institution	32	40,179	Bertie, Halifax, Hertford, Northampton
Pender Correctional Institution	96	125,497	Duplin, New Hanover, Onslow, Pender
Piedmont Correctional Institution	48	27,805	Cabarrus, Davidson, Davie, Rowan
Randolph Correctional Center	72	63,963	Chatham, Guilford, Randolph
Rockingham Correctional Center²	28	3,142	Rockingham, Stokes
Sampson Correctional Center	20	26,356	Duplin, Sampson
Scotland Correctional Center¹	12	2,083	Scotland
Stanly Correctional Center	24	24,355	Davidson, Montgomery, Stanly
Union Correctional Center	36	39,453	Mecklenburg, Union
Warren Correctional Institution³	48	10,851	Franklin, Vance, Warren
Wayne Correctional Center	48	56,570	Wayne
Yadkin Correctional Center¹	12	2,803	Surry, Yadkin
Yancey Correctional Center	16	18,057	Madison, Mitchell, Yancey
29 prisons	1,224 inmates	1,107,451 hours	TOTALS