NORTH CAROLINA
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION
James B. Hunt, Jr., Governor
Joe Hamilton, Acting Secretary
Patty McQuillan, Director of Public Information (919) 733-4926

FEBRUARY 26, 1999

Prisoners worked more than 1.9 million hours in 1998 as part of the Governor’s Community Work Program that puts squads of minimum-security prisoners to work for North Carolina communities.

"Everyone wins with this program," said Acting Correction Secretary Joe Hamilton. "I’m proud of the hard work of our correction staff who have made this program a success and of the contributions of state prisoners who helped clean up after hurricanes, tornadoes and snowstorms last year. They worked hard helping communities where they were needed."

Prisoners from 44 state prisons worked a total of 1,925,520 hours during 1998. If the prisoners had been paid the current minimum wage of $5.15 an hour, their labor would have been valued at $9.9 million. The prisoner’s labor is free to public agencies that supply materials needed for the manual labor projects the prisoners tackle. The prisoners work in squads of up to ten under the supervision of a correctional officer.

During 1998, prisoners tackled a wide variety of jobs clearing brush, picking up litter, painting buildings and construction work. The squads were also put to work helping communities that suffered severe weather. They helped western North Carolina communities dig out of a snowstorm in January, cleaned up after tornadoes damaged communities in Rockingham and Forsyth counties in March and cleaned up after Hurricane Bonnie in August. They picked up tires the hurricane scattered along the beach, helped stand up tobacco plants knocked down by hurricane winds and cleared debris in coastal communities from Brunswick to Currituck counties.

The 148 crews worked 1,925,520 hours in 1998 compared with 124 crews that worked 1,698,705 hours in 1997.

The program was piloted in 1994 at Greene Correctional Center, expanded to 18 prisons in 1995, 35 in 1996, 43 prison in 1997 and 44 in 1998.

1,925,520 hours at minimum wage of $5.15 an hour totals $9,916,428

Prisons Assigned Prisoners Hours worked
Alexander Correctional Center 10 10,357
Anson Correctional Center 30 28,734
Black Mountain Correctional Center for Women

10

8,602

Bladen Youth Center

60

86,426

Buncombe Correctional Center

10

12,808

Cabarrus Correctional Center

30

32,080

Caldwell Correctional Center

40

52,948

Carteret Correctional Center

30

50,217

Catawba Correctional Center

30

22,597

Charlotte Correctional Center

10

14,370

Dan River Prison Work Farm

130

272,020

Davidson Correctional Center

20

35,025

Duplin Correctional Center

50

76,144

Durham Correctional Center

10

15,751

Forsyth Correctional Center

20

14,112

Fountain Correctional Center for Women

30

36,745

Gaston Correctional Center

30

28,239

Gates Correctional Center

10

16,266

Greene Correctional Center

90

108,469

Guilford Correctional Center

30

34,704

Haywood Correctional Center

20

26,698

Henderson Correctional Center

30

37585

Hyde Correctional Center

10

19,273

Marion Correctional Institution

30

96,608

McCain Correctional Hospital

10

10,519

Nash Correctional Institution

30

21,057

Neuse Correctional Institution

30

29,824

New Hanover Correctional Center

60

96,678

North Piedmont Correctional Center for Women

10

11,203

Orange Correctional Center

10

13,188

Pasquotank Correctional Institution

80

91,296

Robeson Correctional Center

30

49,467

Rowan Correctional Center

20

14,544

Rutherford Correctional Center

40

51,679

Sandhills Youth Center

20

28,496

Sanford Correctional Center

50

43,786

Scotland Correctional Center

10

18,652

Southern Correctional Institution

40

51,584

Stokes Correctional Center

20

11,377

Tillery Correctional Center

50

53,100

Tyrrell Work Farm

130

74,319

Umstead Correctional Center

20

37,889

Wilkes Correctional Center

40

66,176

Yadkin Correctional Center

10

13,908

 

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