MONROE — The city needed a hand planting flowers this year, and so turned to some unlikely help: convicted felons.
On Thursday, a group of prisoners from the Monroe Correctional Complex worked under the eyes of a correctional officer, planting brightly colored impatiens on W. Main Street.
Parks director Mike Farrell said that effort marks the beginning of a revived relationship between the city and the prison. The partnership will help the city handle odd jobs around town, while giving prisoners access to honest work, Farrell said.
“It’s a win-win,” Farrell said.
Monroe officials aren’t the only ones who see the benefit of prison labor, a potentially cheap and effective tool. The Monroe prison has sent inmates to work in the community for years.
The prison now has 20 open contracts with municipalities such as Snohomish County, Lake Stevens and Marysville.
The crews mostly do nagging jobs like weeding and litter control. Those tasks are sometimes handled by part-time workers who don’t belong to city unions.
“Quite honestly, these are areas that our current maintenance staff could never get to,” Marysville park maintenance manager Mike Robinson said.
The work crews aren’t available to just anyone. They can be hired only by government agencies and nonprofits located within a 30-mile range of the Monroe prison.
The crews are made up of low-risk offenders in the prison’s minimum-security unit.
“We don’t send anybody out that has residential burglary, violent offenses or sex offenses,” said Dianna Polson, an administrative assistant with the Monroe prison.
Each prisoner earns $1.10 an hour, one reason why the jobs are popular in the prison. More than 60 people are on a waiting list to join the crews, Polson said.
Prisoners such as Jordan Taylor said pay isn’t the only reason for the appeal. The work gets them outdoors for hours and makes them feel like they’re giving a little bit back to the community.
“I don’t know if it’s something that helps prepare you for release, but it makes you feel better,” said Taylor, 26, who is serving time for commercial burglary and possession of stolen goods.
In Monroe, the crews will help the city cope with its own tight budget.
The parks department has lost two full-time employees and five seasonal workers in recent years. During that time, the parks system has grown. It now includes 12 locations and more than 200 acres.
An eight-man prison crew working for 10 hours will cost the city about $110, Farrell said. The fee helps cover the prisoners’ wages, gas mileage and equipment costs.
The prisoners will help pick up the slack for the thinned city staff. Already, officials have arranged weekly work trips through July 22.
The crews will focus on beautification efforts, weeding, trimming and, yes, planting flowers on city property.
“There so many benefits to that,” Farrell said. “I’m just excited that we have initiated this.”
Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455; arathbun@heraldnet.com
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