Green Corrections

Green IT and State Budgets

2009-09-30T15:06:00Z

www.nascio.org writes "States are proven leaders in the green movement. In the face of tightening budgets that demand a departure from business as usual, states are demonstrating leadership through an array of green initiatives. State governments, with their state CIO, can start greening IT practices today." Click here to view the video Taking the Lead: Green IT in the States. CIO's from various states discuss the benefit of green initiatives on the bottom line, starting points for becoming Green IT, and reducing the number of servers and physical storage.

NIC announces Green Corrections award

2009-09-30T15:02:00Z

The National Institute of Corrections will partner with the Academy for Educational Development located in Washington, DC. The Academy will subcontract with John Jay College of Criminal Justice's Prisoner Reentry Institute, RicciGreene Associates, The Corps Network, and Dr. Pinderhughes to compose a 45-50 page white paper. The partnership will investigate offender green-collar job readiness programs, identify strategies to make penal industry products and services more environmentally friendly, and identify strategies to build or transform agencies into self-sustaining facilities.

Recycling and composting efforts in Pennsylvania DOC

2009-09-18T20:13:00Z

Read the Correctional Newsfront: Pennslyvania Department of Corrections article "Composting...it's a daily grind." The article discusses recycling efforts (which uses inmate workers) and composting initiatives in several of PA's correctional facilities.

Merging juvenile justice and sustainability in California

2009-09-15T19:23:00Z

This article, published in the June 2009 edition of Correction's Today, discusses the development of a green facility for juveniles. The facility was designed to save 7 million gallons of water annually and reduce energy consumption, in addition to other green improvements.

Energy Conservation Efforts in Maine DOC

2009-08-18T17:00:00Z

Read this article to learn about the energy conservation efforts taking place in Maine DOC. Suggested improvements include the use of wind energy and heating with wood pellets instead of oil.

Washington State Department of Corrections' Sustainable Prisons Project

2009-06-25T15:49:00Z

Go here to read about the Washington State Department of Corrections' Sustainable Prison Project.

NIC Announces Green Corrections Project

2009-05-21T19:51:00Z

The National Institute of Corrections' Research and Evaluation Division is soliciting applications for a project to explore more awareness and involvement in conservation and environmental efforts by the field of corrections. For more information and to apply for the solicitation, go here.

Alameda County jail installs a green power plant

2009-04-21T19:47:00Z

Click here to read an article from 2006 about Alameda County and the installation of a green power plant. According to the article, the power plant is essentially a giant battery which at the time was expected to save taxpayers $266,825 annually on the jails electric bill.

Green Corrections: How to get started

2009-04-08T19:25:00Z

Take a look at this article written by Mosley Architects. It is a short article that discusses how to get start greening a correctional facility, long term costs and benefits, and a case study of design strategies.

Michigan DOC Lowers Energy Bill by "Going Green"

2009-04-08T19:20:00Z

From the Capital News Service: "They wanted to send someone over to check our meter," said Department of Corrections Director Patricia Caruso. "Our bill was three or four thousand dollars less for than it had been, and as it turned out, it was accurate."

Read the full Capital News Service blog here.

Energy efficiency and green upgrades in prisons

2009-03-03T20:24:00Z

A NY Times blog reports on the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's green retrofitting projects (estimated to save 3 million per year), an Indiana correctional facility burning scrap wood from the prison’s pallet industry to save $6,300 a day in gas bills, and other "green" ideas from correctional facilitaties across the country. Read the blog here.

Green Prison Reform in Washington State (video)

2009-01-21T15:41:00Z

Click here to see the KCTS9 video about Green Prison Reform in Washington State. The video focuses on Cedar Creek Corrections Center, where one inmate conducted a study on the economic effect of recycling at the facility with a professor from Evergreen State College. The name of the study is “Sustainability research and practices in enforced residential institutions: collaborations of ecologists and prisoners.” Composting, an organic garden, Cedar Creek’s zero waste policy, education and rehabilitation benefits, and other “green” topics are featured in the video.

Prisons go green, farm, recycle to save energy

2008-12-30T21:04:00Z

A great article about green corrections was published on msnbc.com on November 1st, 2008. In case you didn't see it, take a look: Prisons go green, farm, recycle to save energy

The article provides examples of cost saving measures such as using wood chips to run water boilers and installing energy efficient appliances and solar panels to reduce energy consumption. The article also discusses the impact that green collar activities can have on inmates while incarcerated.

Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference in Washington, D.C.

2008-12-22T21:41:00Z

On February 4-6, 2009, the Blue Green Alliance will be hosting the Good Jobs, Green Jobs National Conference in Washington, D.C. This conference will focus on educating stakeholders about the importance of investing in green jobs for the economy. Even though this conference does not have a corrections focus, it is sure to be an informational and educational opportunity for those in corrections.

Participants will have the opportunity through this conference to:

* Connect with government leaders and other organizations

* Visit the Green Expo to observe green innovations

To learn more about the Good Jobs, Green Jobs conference and to register, click here. If anyone who reads this blog goes to the conference, be sure to let us know about your experience and what you learned.

Hopefully in the not to distance future we will see a conference devoted to Green Corrections.

Green Corrections

2008-12-17T17:47:00Z

Welcome to the National Institute of Corrections Green Corrections blog. The recent movement in corrections around the idea of becoming "green" has prompted NIC to create this blog in order to pass along any information we become aware of on the subject.

But what exactly is "Green Corrections"? Green Corrections can be defined as developing and practicing environmentally friendly business practices, with both planning/constructing and existing facilities to increase environmental awareness in the field of corrections; and by investigating green-collar job readiness programs and strategies to make penal industries and correctional agencies more environmentally friendly and self-sustaining. In other words, green corrections can have a positive impact on the cost effectiveness of facilities and play a role in preparing inmates for release.

The recent movement in becoming "green" is partially influenced by fiscal constraints being placed on corrections. The Bureau of Justice Statistics found per capita expenditure for each justice function increased between 1982 and 2003, with corrections having the largest per capita increase of 423% (BJS, 2003)-- a growth rate higher than both law enforcement and the judiciary. With agencies competing for performance-based budgets, agencies must show they are operating effectively and efficiently.

This is the beginning of what could be a new generation of correctional facilities. Facilities may be required to enhance their infrastructures by implementing self-sustaining and environmentally friendly processes for day-to-day operations, or as back-up plans during times of emergency. This also increases the potential for facilities to create green products and services which will reduce costs and improve green collar job skills inside and outside of the facility. Reducing operational costs will allow more funding to be directed to programs designed to produce long-term, positive effects on offenders re-entering the community.

According to the American Solar Energy Society, jobs in renewable-energy and energy-efficiency industries could increase to 40 million by 2030 (MacMillian, 2008). It is believed that most firms are not prepared to handle the rapid growth of these types of jobs and will experience a shortage of qualified green collar workers. There will also be a greater need for green collar jobs as traditional blue collar jobs have become less available and competition for them increases (Jones and Wyskida 2007).

New green collar jobs require less licensing than some blue collar jobs (Pinderhughes, 2007). This may increase the potential for former offenders to find gainful employment post release. Green collar skills are transferable and can change how institutions view job assignments in their facilities prompting practitioners to create green collar jobs within the institution and develop green collar job readiness training programs.

The Prisons Industry work programs offer another avenue to create more environmental awareness through the services and products they produce. Prison Industries have the potential to create green collar jobs, promote awareness through producing energy efficient and environmentally friendly products, create new programs inside correctional facilities, and lower pollution and byproduct wastes.

If your corrections facility has a green initiative, please let us know in the comment box below. Thanks for reading.

Jones, Van and Wyskida, Ben. Creating Green-Collar Jobs. Tom Paine 23 January 2007. http://www.tompaine.com/article/2007/01/23/creating_greencollar_jobs.php

MacMillian, Douglas. Switching to Green-Collar Jobs: A Growing Number of Professionals are Taking Their Talents and Moving Then to Jobs that Can Improve the Environment. Business Week. 10 January 2008. http://www.businessweek.com/managing/content/jan2008/ca2008018_005632.htm.

Pinderhughes, Raquel. Green Collar Jobs: Work Force Opportunities in the Growing Green Economy, Race, Poverty & the Environment. Volume 13, no 1, Summer 2006.

Pinderhughes, Raquel. Green Collar Jobs: An Analysis of the Capacity of Green Business to Provide High Quality Jobs for Men and Women with Barriers to Employment, 2007.