Inmate-Grown Vegetable Garden Trims $15G From Food Budget

This was a short article but I thought it was very interesting and raised some questions for me.  These inmates are able to do something outside of the normal routine while in prison and they are able to help out the budgetary needs of the prison and therefore our economy.  I am aware that our prison systems do have work opportunities for low risk inmates and I think that this could be utilized more often.  The United States has a crumbling infastructure and a national debt that continues to grow.  We pay taxes everyday for these inmates to have a bed to sleep on and three meals a day so why not make them work for it.  I am not saying that they should be out on the side of a road breaking rocks but to have certain jobs that would have inmates work and contribute to a society that they have wronged (they are where they are for a reason) could benefit both our economy and our national infastructure.  Even a simple task like growing your own vegtables has saved one prison $15,000.  That is $15,000 less coming out of the tax payers pocket and can be spent in other places where it is needed.