The city of Hermiston has signed an agreement with Two Rivers Correctional Institution that will allow inmates to do landscaping work in town.
The city will use a prison work crew consisting of 10 inmates one day a week for eight weeks during the busiest season. Hermiston City Manager Byron Smith said the crews will work in the parks trimming weeds, laying bark and removing litter.
The crews will cost the city $500 per day, a rate that will save the city money.
“It really helps us stretch our budget,” Smith said. The crews will be supervised by a correctional officer.
Hermiston City Councilor Doug Smith, a former Hermiston Police Department officer, said the prison will carefully select inmates eligible for work release. Inmates with serious violent criminal records, such as sex offenders, would not be part of the work crews.
Smith said inmates want to be part of work crews and so they tend to follow orders and behave in order to remain on the crews.
