HUTCHINSON, Kan. (AP) _ A state prison warden is doing away with a work detail that pays inmates $1.05 per day to pick up blown litter at a county landfill.
Hutchinson Correctional Facility Warden Sam Cline said Thursday there are ways inmates could earn more money and better prepare themselves for life after prison. In a June 23 letter, Cline gave the county 30 days' notice to end the 2005 agreement.
Cline said an inmate who's been through prison training and education programs should not be picking up landfill litter for $1.05 a day. He said better-paying prison jobs help inmates pay child support and make victim restitution, and also equip them with skills to use upon release.
Cline also cited the cost of the landfill work -- a corrections officer to supervise the four-man detail is paid about $40,000 yearly, and transportation costs about $7,500 annually.
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