When I think of “prison labor,” the first thing that comes to mind is a group of inmates in orange jumpsuits picking up trash on the side of the highway.
Either that or the old-fashioned, rock-breakin' chain gang — neither of which are flattering scenarios for an ex-convict seeking gainful employment.
But if some budding green job initiatives are successful, many prisoners will be able to swap those orange jumpsuits for respectable green collars.
Billed as the first “Green Job Fair” in the California penal system, the infamous San Quentin State Prison recently offered inmates the chance to mingle with over 60 green businesses, from organic farming and agriculture companies to green construction and technology firms.
The fair sought to bridge the gap between the number of released criminals attempting to enter the workforce and the exciting possibilities being offered by the burgeoning green sector.
Since most released inmates have enough trouble locating steady, dignified work (especially during an economic downtime), these types of opportunities are prized as prisoners await their release dates.
"This is the wave of the future," inmate Erick Copeland told the Contra Costa Times.
"I have been waiting for something like this. We get stuck in basic construction or food service. Those are pretty monotonous jobs. This opens things up for us. I want to farm when I get out."
The San Quentin job fair offered inmates the chance to meet directly with employers under one condition: The inmates had less than 10 years left to serve.
While this may be the first time the prison has brought green employers inside the barbed wire gates to actively recruit inmates, San Quentin currently offers a few other green-friendly programs on prison grounds. Their Insight Garden Program teaches prisoners the ins and outs of organic gardening by having them work in the prison yard's 1,200-square foot organic flower garden. 
(Right, a San Quentin inmate tends to the organic garden. Image courtesy of Insight Garden Program.)
Now the thought of hardened criminals tending organic Echinacea in a field may sound like Pollyannish, feel-good tripe...
But along with learning landscaping and gardening basics, inmates are also taught marketable skills like the planning and budgeting associated with the field.
And from a more philosophical perspective, the program hopes to teach the inmate more about him or herself. According to the organization's website:
This approach of re-connection through nature is integrated with opportunities for personal development. Because nature cultivates awareness, men learn to respond rather than react — and become productive members of society when they leave prison.
I can testify to the sentiment. For a while, I volunteered at the Baltimore City Women's Detention Center, helping the inmates improve their writing ability.
One thing struck me from the outset: these women were hungry for marketable skills. They wanted the opportunity to cultivate those skills and become "productive members of society"; but many of them felt a degree of hopelessness that when they were released nobody would want to hire them.
Kudos to these green companies on giving these folks a second chance to succeed. It's far more encouraging and engaging to get involved in a sector with growth potential than, say, menial restaurant or janitorial work.
And these green initiatives are already starting to bear fruit in some areas. Earlier this year, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley announced the creation of over 600 green jobs for former prisoners as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.
While we have a long, loooong way to go in dealing with recidivism in our nations prisons, the green job focus is a welcome one.
Hopefully it helps to break down the stigma of prisoners as synonymous with "unskilled laborers," so that the next time you hear the words prisoner and labor together, you imagine a young man installing a solar panel and not an inmate stamping license plates.
Be Well,
Jimmy
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