County Moves Forward with Jail Labor for Projects

Program similar to Longwood will be used as guide

By Brian Nowlin, Staff Writer

High housing cost for inmates at Piedmont Regional Jail has been an ongoing discussion among county officials in recent years. With Lunenburg now paying hundreds of thousands each year for housing inmates, Board of Supervisors members have been searching for a way to recoup some of that money in other ways.

Supervisor Wayne Hoover has suggested on numerous occasions that inmate work and labor should somehow be used in the county to help with projects and maintenance that the county has to pay for each year. Suggestions include the grounds work, painting or even larger projects if the inmates are skilled in a particular area.

At the December meeting of the Lunenburg County Board of Supervisors, County Administrator Tracy Gee reported some good news on this subject.  She stated, “I did get information regarding jail labor. We are working on the logistics of that to make sure all liability issues are covered, but we have a potential agreement.”

She went on to note that this agreement is similar to the one used by Longwood University as they get PRJ inmates to help with painting and projects at the school.

Mrs. Gee stated, “I spoke with the Superintendent and he said to just let me know when we want them.”

Supervisor Wayne Hoover stated, “I want to thank Mrs. Gee for her work and we finally going to get some labor we have wanted for so long.”

Supervisor Hoover has been vocal in suggesting that the county should be able to get some type of benefit from PRJ for the large amount of housing costs that are paid each year.

Supervisor Frank Bacon suggested that the county get information on the skills of the inmates who will be working locally and that would allow for them to be put on projects appropriate to their skill sets.  He stated, “I think this is good for us and it must be effective if Longwood is using it.”

Administrator Gee will oversee the inmate work and projects they will be used to complete.