The Leominster Champion
Lancaster- Since his election, Sheriff Evangelidis has dedicated himself to doubling the size of the community service program. The program not only saves communities thousands of dollars but also provides inmates with a feeling of productivity and dignity. The work-crews are made up of officer supervised inmates convicted of non-violent crimes who have earned their place in the program. The cities and towns of Worcester County saved over one million dollars in 2010 and the Worcester County Sheriff’s Department expects to double the savings in 2011.
An inmate work crew was recently at the Johnny Appleseed Visitors Center in Lancaster, MA. The inmates mulched the property’s seventy apple trees, scraped and painted the gazebo and light posts, in addition to raking, cleaning, and sweeping the entire grounds.
The center’s director, Diane Burnette, is hoping to have the crew back again: “We are more than happy with the work that has been done. We would never have been able to get all the things done that the crew completed. The inmates were extremely polite and hardworking and the guard was very professional. I can’t say enough about how grateful we are for the program.”
Sheriff Evangelidis visited the center before the project began and again as the work crew was finishing: “It is so great to see the difference from just a few weeks ago. This is exactly what this program is all about, there is no cost to the tax-payers and the inmates truly take pride in their work.”
