Implementing public works projects in a 1,012-square-mile county takes significant manpower and a hefty budget to match. Fortunately, Santa Rosa County enjoys a close working relationship with the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC), using the facility’s inmate work squads to aid in accomplishing more work, saving taxpayers well over $1,000,000 each year.
“The practice of utilizing inmate labor helps us accomplish more work with less budget, prepares inmates for real-world jobs and reduces recidivism,” said Stephen Furman, director of Santa Rosa County’s public works department. “It’s a win-win solution for everyone.”
Currently, the county utilizes as many as 82 inmates each work day in a variety of supervised labor-intensive tasks such as helping build and maintain county parks, cleaning retention ponds and easements in neighborhoods, assisting at the Central Landfill, and removing trash and debris along major roadways. When inmate crews are working in county parks, portions or the entire area may be closed to the public.
All inmates who elect to work on these squads are required to undergo extensive screening and must be non-violent offenders. The majority are directly supervised by DOC officers, with a smaller percentage directed by county employees who have been trained and certified by the DOC to oversee inmates.
While the county occasionally receives calls from concerned residents requesting notice of neighborhood work scheduled with inmate labor, advance notification is not possible for a variety of reasons including:
- Scheduling of crews is done each morning. Supervisors are never guaranteed how many – if any – inmates will be available on a given day. During prison lock-downs, no inmates are allowed to leave on work detail.
- DOC work schedules can change quickly and officers are not always available to supervise, or even transport inmates to the work site.
- The weather, and shifts in project priorities, result in frequent last-minute changes to public works schedules
- The county lacks manpower for daily door-to-door notifications and few residents maintain landline home phones necessary to receive calls.
Santa Rosa County has coordinated inmate work crews through DOC since 1994, providing a huge benefit with very minimal risk to the public. For more information on the DOC’s community work squad program, visit www.dc.state.fl.us/oth/
