Community Work Team Keeps County Cleaner
The St. Mary’s County Detention and Rehabilitation Center has devised a new way to help the county deal with the problem of roadside trash, while also helping inmates get outside and contribute to the community. SMCDRC’s first Community Work Team project was held Oct. 16, 2017, and inmates collected 10 large bags of trash and debris in just two hours.
Who Is Part of the Community Work Team?
Non-violent, sentenced inmates who are incarcerated at SMDRC are brought out of the jail to help with projects that are aimed at improving the community in various ways. The new initiative is part of an on-going Community “Outside” Detail, in which inmates have helped many areas of the county with cleanup projects for several years now.
The Community Work Team includes two inmates, always supervised by correctional officers, who pick up trash and debris along the roadside. On the first day, the team worked along Pegg Road and Chancellor’s Run Road in Great Mills.
Since that first day, more cleanups have been completed by inmates. Because of its success, more inmates may be added to the detail in the future, as well as more correctional officers.
Who is Helped by the Community Work Team?
This program benefits all of St. Mary’s County. Having the litter and debris removed from the roadways improves the quality of life, and helps the environment.
Also, inmates are doing something must more useful with their time, as they get outside in the open air, and get the benefit of giving back to their community. At the same time, they are learning new skills, which is part of the SMCDRC’s efforts to improve inmates’ marketable skills and earn equivalency degrees, to make it easier for them to find work when they are no longer incarcerated. Former inmates who are able to be gainfully employed after they serve their team are less likely to return. Programs like this aim to reduce the rate of recidivism within the county’s correctional system.
For more about Lexington Park, visit the St. Mary’s County Community Development Corporation’s Leader member page.
