By C1 Staff
ROGERS COUNTY, Okla. – Want to add $50,000 a year to your budget? Just get some inmates to pick up garbage.
That’s what the Rogers County Sheriff’s Office has done, putting inmates to work along the turnpike, according to News on 6.
Inmates are screened for behavior problems and sentencing issues. Those generally selected are those serving time for vandalism, D.U.I. or not being able to pay fines.
A five-person crew works ten hours a day, four days a week. The Turnpike Authority pays minimum wage for each person and $350 a day goes to the sheriff’s department.
“We all benefit from this, trust me, the sheriff’s office can use $50,000 added to the jail budget,” said Rogers County Sheriff Scott Walton.
Members of the community have already thanked the sheriff for making roads cleaner, and troopers say it’s safer because inmates remove tire treads and dead animals from traffic lanes.
Walton hopes to expand the program so more inmates are being productive and taxpayers benefit.