By C1 Staff
SANTA FE — The New Mexico Department of Corrections is taking a chance on a convicted murderer who served two decades for his crimes.
KRQE reports that the state has hired David Van Horn, who served 20 years for ransacking a home and then burning to the ground, killing a woman, as a contract lead cook supervisor at the state prison in Santa Fe.
He’s the first inmate to be directly hired back by the prison system, and if everything goes well, he won’t be the last. Gregg Marcantel, the secretary of the state DOC, wants to show the DOC is committed to helping inmates find their footing once they’re released back into the community.
Van Horn says he’s a changed man, and that through serving his sentence, he knew if he didn’t change that his release would mean nothing. Marcantel says Van Horn has a clean disciplinary record.
Van Horn is currently serving a two year probation term. He’s being paid $17 an hour, more than most corrections staff, but he doesn’t receive the benefits that corrections staff do from the state.