Morris Cortez Jr.
July 19, 2007Imogene Smith
July 23, 2007
To those who spend 24 hours locked in a prison cellblock, any time spent outdoors is a blessing.
Several Terrebonne Parish Jail inmates have been simultaneously enjoying the outdoors and performing a service to the community.
A crew of 20-plus inmates from the Terrebonne Parish Department of Corrections is painting parish public schools. Twenty-seven, in fact.
With the start of school just over two weeks away, the inmates have only three more schools to complete, said Sheriff Jerry Larpenter.
“This is our way of getting the guys out into the community for a good cause,” the sheriff said. “We’re letting them get some fresh air and give something back to the taxpayers.”
The inmate crew worked diligently at Houma Junior High School, taking breaks only for food, water or a quick rest.
Assistant Principal Jeannie Dagenhardt said it was the first time the school had been completely repainted since it was constructed in 1964. About seven years ago, some areas were partially repainted, she added.
“This is so wonderful the classrooms looks amazing; we needed these improvements,” Dagenhardt said.
The aging junior high was one of the schools requiring the most work, Larpenter said. But the crew doesn’t shun work; they put in nearly 10 hours daily.
Larpenter is quick to note that many of the inmates are in their element performing light construction repairs and painting. Outside of jail, many were full-time craftsmen. They just made bad choices that landed them in prison, he explained.
One such case is Madrone Short, a certified carpenter, who has been applying his trade to providing carpentry work at the schools.
“This keeps my skills up and I feel that I am giving something back to the community,” Short said. “It also helps me to pass the time.”
Madrone didn’t disclose his crime, but said he has only 11 months left on his sentence. After his release, the inmate said he wouldn’t mind continuing to aid the program – under different circumstances.
John Celestine, the building maintenance supervisor at Houma Jr. High, and his custodial staff had high praise for the work Madrone and the other inmates have done.
As a show of appreciation, many of the custodial women cook daily for the inmates. The meals replace the normal chow inmates eat as Department of Corrections borders.
At lunch Thursday, they call agreed Houma Jr. High staffer Victoria Harris’ bread pudding is the best they’ve ever tasted.
“The guys are real nice and we enjoy cooking for them,” said head custodian Rebecca Beauty Short.
Larpenter estimates the program, now in its 15th year, has saved the parish over $30 million in manpower hours. “The money the parish government and school board would have spent out of its general funds was saved for something else,” he said.
Terrebonne School Board president Clark Bonvillain agrees. “If you turn those hours into man hours you will see that the parish school system is saving tons of funds.”
To be eligible to participate, inmates must be non-violent offenders. Larpenter and his staff approve each applicant to the program. Most of the offenders landed in jail after being convicted of drug- or alcohol-related charges.
The school board or parish provides the needed paint and supplies. In exchange, the sheriff’s office provides the labor and insurance – the major cost of the project, the sheriff said.
“Once the schools are completely painted, the work inmate program comes back every year for touch ups,” Larpenter said.
Work on school campuses is limited to the summer months because inmates are able to move about and work without interrupting students, he said. During the rest of the year, the inmates work primarily on road details.
Terrebonne Parish Department of Corrections have spent the summer painting public schools across the area. Now in its 15th year, the program has saved the parish over $30 million in labor, Sheriff Jerry Larpenter said. * Staff photo by SOPHIA RUFFIN
