Inmate Workers News Today

Every year, about 55,000 men and women pass through the booking department of the hamilton county justice center in cincinnati. >> can i get my panties, please? >> most will be released within hours. but for those who stay, the jail will become their home for an indefinite period of time. the job of keeping it clean falls to inmate workers, known here as porters, like thomas schiele. >> our day starts with empty trash cans, taking care of the walls, cells as they empty, and then on to the holdin...

At the fairfax county adult detention center, feeding the 1,200 men and women incarcerated here falls to inmate workers like rasheed conte. in this kitchen, they learn to do things big. >> right now what im doing is im just going to boil the potatoes first, for 45 minutes or an hour. then im going to take them over, mash them with butter and milk. most jails use instant potatoes. were using real potatoes here. >> conte is part of a crew that serves about 26,000 inmate meals a week. >> they order...

Population can be found in the theo lacey kitchen, where inmate workers prepare 9,000 meals per day. >> ive actually heard that if an inmate had to be incarcerated they prefer to come to orange county jail because they are fed well. they are fed more colorfully. and our nutritional guidelines and standards are the same as the rest of the state. but we put a lot of care and energy into what we do. >> while lower security level inmates eat in the chow hall, the majority of inmates are confined to ...

Contact. you can do little things for them and they act like ive known you a long time. >> mason likes giving his younger customers something extra with their meals, a serving of rap. ♪ my minds not right but still got game ♪ ♪ bet my dope puts yours to shame ♪ ♪ judges today have it all wrong ♪ ♪ theyre far to late to try the bomb ♪ ♪ these crews are cool but theyre living in sin ♪ ♪ theyre robbing the pharmacies for vicodin ♪ >> when their shift ends, mason and other in...

Me in trouble while im out in general population. that means you are not allowed to flagrantly advertise any homosexual tendencies nor induce others to commit or participate in that activity. do you understand? >> yes, maam. >> sign for me right there. >> beauchamp has requested to move to a trustee pod, a housing unit for inmate workers. though theyre not paid. there are some other benefits to be had. more time out of their cells and extra food. >> the trustee, on the day that they do work, whi...

At the cuyahoga county correction center in cleveland, some inmates are eligible for jailhouse jobs. these inmate workers are called trustees. >> i have about 75 kitchen trustees. probably about 15, 16 safety and sanitation and eight barbers and out of 2300 inmates, it is a privilege to be a trustee. >> trustees are not paid for their labor but are rewarded with time out of their cells, extra food, and possibly time off their sentences. >> it is all to the discretion of the judge. if he wants to...

Pass out dinner on that side for me. thank you. >> the kitchen staff at oaklands santa rita jail must prepare and deliver meals for 3,000 inmates, three times per day, seven days a week. its a big job, but the end result rarely wins praise. >> this is very unappetizing, bland. >> we call it white dip because, uh, we dont know how they make it, and it might kill you, but its all we got to eat. >> but for inmate workers like vincent del judas, chow time offers a break from an otherwise monotonous ...

Now back to "lockup." at the fairfax county adult detention center, feeding the 1,200 men and women incarcerated here falls to inmate workers like rasheed conte. in this kitchen, they learn to do things big. >> right now what im doing is im just going to boil the potatoes first, for 45 minutes or an hour. then im going to take them over, mash them with butter and milk. most jails use instant potatoes. were using real potatoes here. >> conte is part of a crew that serves about 26,000 inmate mea...

Look at all that. look at all that money. >> yeah, buddy. >> look at all those chips. >> thats why i dont have commissary left. i play poker like crap. >> this is the first grab in the toilet tomorrow. >> that and a bag of chips, i got your number. >> the inmate workers housed in orange countys theo lacey jail are ready to bunk down for the night. >> oh! >> what you got, what you got, what you got? >> three of a kind right there. >> all right, hold on. let me go mortgage my house. i want to play...

Every year, about 55,000 men and women pass through the booking department of the hamilton county justice center in cincinnati. >> can i get my panties, please? >> most will be released within hours. but for those who stay, the jail will become their home for an indefinite period of time. the job of keeping it clean falls to inmate workers, known here as porters, like thomas sheely. >> our day starts with empty trash cans, taking care of the walls, cells as they empty, and then on to the holding...