NORTH VERNON — A jail is not the best place to begin a job search unless you find yourself in the Jennings County Jail where some inmates are finding a new job and the hope for a new life after jail.
Rose Acre Farms and the Jennings County Sheriff’s Office have teamed up to give non-violent county jail inmates a chance to work to earn money while they are serving time in jail.
The new program officially began in September of 2019 and is different from other programs offered to inmates across the state.
“We were kind of flying by the seat of our pants when we started this, but it is going smoothly now,” said Jennings County Jail Commander Jason Bliton.
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According to officials, the biggest difference in the program is the lack of “red tape” that usually accompanies any government program.
Another big difference in the program is that the inmates are allowed to keep their entire pay check. In most other inmate-work programs, sizable amounts of the inmates pay is subtracted for court and jail expenses.
The pay checks for the Jennings County inmates are deposited into inmates accounts and held until their release from jail.
“Going into jail has often cost an inmate everything. By the time they are released, they may not have a place to live, a car to drive or money to by food and no one to help,” said Jennings County Sheriff Kenny Freeman.
“This way, if they work hard and keep their job, they keep their money and have a chance to get a better start on a better life when they get out,” added Freeman.
“We carefully screen the jail inmates to make sure they are eligible for the program. They can’t have a violent record or a sexual offense record and they have to want to participate,” said Bliton.
The inmates remain in jail when they are not working. They are transported to and from jail at the expense of Rose Acre.
“We are required by law to provide lunch for the inmates, so it is no extra expense when we send them to work with a lunch in a brown bag. There is no cost to the tax payer for any of this” said Freeman.
“Really, when they are at work they are just like any other employee at Rose Acre. When they return to jail, they seem calmer and ready to rest because they have been working all day,” said Bliton.
Rose Acre Farms was started in Jennings County and Jackson Counties in the 1930s and is now the second largest producer of eggs in the U.S. Rose Acre now has plants in Arizona, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, North Carolina and Texas.
Rose Acre Farms employ over 2,000 employees across the nation. Around 85 employees work at the North Vernon Plant. Currently eight Jennings County Jail inmates are employed by Rose Acre.
“We do have programs in Iowa and North Carolina that use inmate labor but this is unique in that it was created at the County level, not by the state,” said Vice President of Rose Acre Cage Free Eggs Division, Ralph Miller.
“Yes, this whole thing was started by the Sheriff and Bliton. They came to us and said they had an idea of how to make this work,” said Rose Acre Complex Manager Mike Hines. “And, it has worked very well without being bogged down in a bureaucracy.”
Freeman said the program was designed to help the inmates and avoid recidivism but it is too soon to tell the long-term effects. He does plan to track future re-arrest records.
Hines explained the Jennings County inmate program has already helped Rose Acre solve labor vacancies.
“We have had inmates tell their friends on the outside that this is a good place to work and they will be treated fairly, so, the friends come and also apply for a job,” said Hines.
“One of our best employees, Darrel Mills, came to us through this program. He came to us as an inmate and stayed after he was released. Now he is a line manager,” said Hines with a smile.
“Look, we all make mistakes, why not help someone get their life straight? It saves a lot of money in the long run and helps everyone around them,” said Miller. “We hope all of them stay with us.”
“We want to keep this program going and maybe expand it. Why not try? This helps everybody, “ added Miller.
