Prisons Are Cultivating a New Generation of Farmers

With 7.3 million Americans under some form of correctional supervision, the United States holds the distinction of imprisoning more of its own citizens than any other country on earth.

Recidivism rates are high, in part, because when offenders leave prison or jail, they often have few or no marketable skills they can use to re-enter the workforce.

In Florida, a collaborative program between the state's corrections agency and the University of Florida's West Florida Research and Education Center is working to change this trend. Instead of simply teaching inmates how to be better criminals, this program is teaching inmates how to grow their own food.

Now, there are some very real human rights concerns involved with forcing inmates to toil away in the nation's farm fields, and we don't want agribusiness giants forming contracts with prison systems to take advantage of their seemingly infinite pool of free labor.

But, if done right, prison farming programs may have some positives outcomes:

1) Cost Savings: At a time when many states are facing significant budget challenges, prison farming programs may offer a way to decrease the costs of feeding inmates (not to mention being a low-cost way to bring more fresh produce into their diets). In the first quarter of 2010 alone, the prison farming program in Florida saved taxpayers $60,000 in meal costs.

2) Teaching Inmates job skills: The average age of the American farmer is 57 years of age. With so many of the nation's agricultural producers nearing retirement age, and with so few of their children choosing to remain in farming, the U.S. is going to need a new generation of farmers to meet the increasing demand for local and sustainable food. This is a niche that paroled or released inmates could be primed to fill, and an opportunity to reverse the cycle of constant imprisonment.

3) Better food could lead to better behavior: While the link between nutrition and health seems to be clear, there is also a large amount of research that connects healthy diets to improved behavior. A study of 231 British inmates found that those taking nutritional supplements (which could be replicated with healthier diets) were 26 percent less likely to commit infractions against prison policy. In addition, there is a growing pool of anecdotal evidence that shows inmates that participate in prison farming programs are less-likely to re-offend than those that do not.

There may be people out there that have a problem with providing inmates with free job training, since in the end, they are in prison because they have broken the law. But it's in everyone's interests to lower recidivism rates. And America needs a new generation of farmers.

Photo credit: egenerica