The Virginian-Pilot
©
CHESAPEAKE
The city has a number of potential community improvement projects on private property. And there just happens to be a large number of able-bodied men and women, with free time on their hands, sitting around at the Chesapeake Correctional Center.
City Manager William Harrell sees an opportunity there.
Harrell has petitioned the courts for permission to use Chesapeake inmates, which already can work at public facilities, to work on private property, such as the homes of senior citizens and people with disabilities. The supervised inmate work crews would be allowed to do so only with written authorization from property owners.
"I think it will be well-received," said Theo McClammy, Chesapeake's neighborhood services coordinator. "We alert the property owners and ask them to participate."
The effort is part of the city manager's CARE Team, which was established in February 2008 to respond quickly to chronic nuisance problems, complex community needs and hard-to-solve issues.
The city wants to screen inmates serving sentences for misdemeanors and felonies, and inmates with pending cases. They could be used on properties that have been found to be public nuisances or properties that are part of community improvement projects, according to a petition filed in Chesapeake Circuit Court.
"I just think that it's a big resource, a valuable resource in working on community improvement projects," McClammy said.
General District Judge Colon Whitehurst signed an order in December allowing inmates with misdemeanor charges to work on private property. Similar petitions and orders are pending in both Circuit and Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, according to Catherine Lindley, an assistant city attorney.
Property owners who voluntarily participate will not have to repay the city for any expenses. Others will be billed for expenses incurred by the city to remedy code violations.
The inmates will do a variety of chores, including litter removal and grass and weed trimming. They also will help remove discarded appliances, furniture and debris from private property for curbside pickup.
For years, the Sheriff's Department has used inmate work crews for such tasks as picking up litter along public roads, streets and sidewalks, and for cleaning up after hurricanes. If the city receives permission to use inmate work crews on private property, the Sheriff's Department would supervise the operation.
Inmates accepted for such projects would be screened and would not be violent offenders, said Chief Deputy Jim O'Sullivan. They would be supervised throughout the projects by deputies, he said.
For the inmates, it's a way to work off fines, fees and other court costs, O'Sullivan said.
"Our inmates are a valuable source of manpower for the city."
John Hopkins, (757) 222-5221, john.hopkins@pilotonline.com
Delicious
Digg
Reddit
Facebook
Twitter
Google
Yahoo
The city could strongarm the elderly!
It says this is for those who already have code violations (they pay) and who have problems but no code violations yet (they are free). Well, if you are elderly and can't afford a general contractor, couldn't you kind of be forced to accept these guys, even if it felt dangerous or uncomfortable for you?
With all the budget
With all the budget challenges facing the City, why not take advantage of a resource that is readily available and cost effective? Does anyone really think that the Sheriff's Office would put dangerous offenders in a citizen's back yard? The employees of the Sheriff's Office live in Chesapeake too! The deputies who would be supervising these crews are well trained and security minded. Why fight the Sheriff when he is trying to save the City and its citizens dollars that can be used elsewhere?
prisoners working in the community - BAD IDEA
How does one "screen" people who've already been 'screened' by judges and juries and found lacking?? These people are prisoners! They were sent to jail as punishment for crimes committed. They NEED to be punished.. not sent out into the community. How could the inmate workers be supervised when the jails are short of jailers already?? BAD IDEA, PEOPLE!!
unclehomerr..
Stimulus Money?
Chesapeake received $331,823 from the Stimulus for a Community Development Block Grant. One would assume that money would be used to create jobs for law abiding citizens. Is that where they plan on pulling the money from to pay off these inmates fines?
Neighbors rights
As a neighbor to the property owner being helped by such a program, I should also be required to "sign off" on weather I want inmantes casing my property as they clean up my neighbors. I can tell you right now my vote would be HECK NO!
Bad use of city resources
Again our city officials miss the point. Its OK for the city to use them on public property and help cut back on the city's expenses. However, private land should be paying for private labor provided by area businesses, especially in this economy when they need business. No lawnscaping company in Chesapeake can compete with prison labor. I too will write and call into City Council. Why open the city to potential liabilities, and what favors one private property over another. They can screen prisoners all day long, but who will screen their "friends" when the prisoners are released later. This is a slippery slope to an area not meant for government.
A no-brainer
Sounds like a great idea and easy enough to implement safely. Does anyone really think that the city would put people with records of home burglary to doing this sort of work? I'd say of course not, but then, we are talking about the City of Chesapeake here.
With the dry conditions and fire dangers the region is faced with, having property cleared of overgrowth would not only help those who can't do the work, but also everyone else around them. That, and it puts the prisoners to work doing something worthwhile instead of just sitting around.
A great idea!
From what I've seen in Norfolk, they should consider doing the same thing.
The current
Sheriff in Portsmouth was already doing this...oh thats right he knew nothing about it and had to fire some lowly deputies who violated policy...
Don't do it..
I would rather see these types of expenditures of public funds where a genuine return can be determined (results of work performed) than the continued paying out for many of the wasteful welfare programs that consume so many dollars while not doing enough good! There are some valid points for and against this on this thread. Noble as the intent may be, I fall on the side that it's just not a good idea overall to spend tax dollars this way, which is what employing prisoners is all about. Now, if this area faced what other parts of the country faced, like catastrophic flooding for example, I would be ALL in favor of using them to shore up dikes, fill sandbads, etc., even if that meant for neighborhoods. The savings FROM disaster, if the efforts were successful, would be far more than any costs incurred to use those inmates to begin with. But other than extreme emergencies like that, I say table this proposal..