Expanding program helps inmates learn greenhouse skills

From www.charlotteobserver.com:

Each plant has different needs, the gardener says. Some impatiens won’t thrive in direct sunlight. Orchids are delicate and can only be watered once a week.

And the greenhouse is trying a new technique with the basil plants, placing cuttings into flower pots made of newspaper, which will break down as the plants’ roots spread into the soil.

It’s detailed, meticulous work performed in a humid greenhouse in northern Charlotte just a few yards from Interstate 77.

Hours later, when the day’s work is done, a corrections officer will unbolt two padlocks that secure the barbed-wire topped gates around the greenhouse. The gardeners will be searched for contraband – anything from a spade to a stray clipping. And the gardeners, in their orange jail uniforms stenciled with “Mecklenburg County Jail” on the back, will appear no different than the other inmates.

For four years, Mecklenburg’s jail has conducted a horticulture program for eligible prisoners who don’t pose significant security risks at Mecklenburg Jail-North. Administrators say the vocational program teaches life- and career skills to inmates, who can use what they learn to find jobs when their sentences are up.

“It seems like not a big deal, but they’re actually planting a seed and seeing it grow,” said Sheriff Chipp Bailey. “This may be the first time that they’re seeing something positive come from their efforts.”

Read the rest of the story here.