penal system & agriculture

Jeff Hall (JRHALL@gwgate.lib.iastate.edu)
Fri, 12 Mar 1999 18:05:40 -0600

I agree with the criticism of using prison labor to make organic food more price competitive. I do think an expanding agricultural component could make a real difference in our criminal "justice" system. There are many prison programs around the country that incorporate gardening, and I believe a few even grow for food pantries, etc.

Can you imagine gardens that provide training and "rehabilitation" (I'm old enough to remember that as a real word, not a joke!) for inmates while increasing the availability of the highest quality nutrition to poor communities? Perhaps one of our good foundations could even provide loans and other support to graduates of these programs to start more market gardens around cities. And help start more youth programs that help at-risk kids?

In my experience, people who grow food for other people seem to have exactly the sort of spiritual maturity and self respect that those who are sucked into crime need to break the incredibly destructive cycle they find themselves in.

Keep making the connections!
-Jeff Hall, Ames Iowa

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