NCJ Number
132766
Journal
Insight Into Corrections Dated: (July 1991) Pages: 2-5
Date Published
1991
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Agriculture operations at prisons throughout Illinois are an important part of the Correctional Industries Program.
Abstract
The largest operations from a money standpoint are meat and milk processing centers. In fiscal year 1990, sales reached $4.34 million at the Galesburg meat and milk plant and $4.33 million in a similar facility at the Vandalia prison. In general, sales of products from the agricultural division of the Correctional Industries Program have increased dramatically over the years. Farming operations at prisons vary in focus, but they share a characteristic that is evident throughout agriculture in Illinois: hard work is rewarded with success. Inmates assist in livestock production operations, packaging, and animal care. A small-scale ethanol production plant was opened at one prison farm in 1982. Before inmates can work at this plant, they must complete vocational training in alcohol fuels production or other vocational classes that cover nearly all phases of the plant's work. Assigning inmates to jobs where they work to grow some of the food they need seems to be a popular idea. However, involving inmates in research to expand markets for agricultural products, such as the ethanol plant, has raised a few eyebrows.