Sheriff’s Inmate Community Service Program Gets High Marks For Helping Schools

SPENCER NEW LEADER Friday, September 7, 2012
Spencer – Responding to a request from Director of School Facilities Steven Dragon, Worcester County Sheriff
Lewis G. Evangelidis recently provided free inmate labor through the Sheriff’s Inmate Community Service
Program to Spencer’s Lake Street Elementary School and Knox Trail Jr. High School to complete some much
needed interior painting and trim work. The inmate work crew spent a very busy two weeks working between
both schools painting all of the 2nd & 3rd grade classrooms at the elementary school as well as completing the
painting and trim work in the cafeteria at the Jr. High School, providing school officials with well over $10,000
in total savings. The Sheriff’s inmate work crews are made up of nonviolent, non-sex offender individuals
approaching the end of their sentence who have earned a place in the Community Service Program and will
only provide assistance to school districts during the months when students are not in session.
Since taking office last year, Sheriff Evangelidis has more than tripled the size of the Inmate Community
Service Program and in addition to recently helping at Lake Street Elementary School and Knox Trail Jr. High
School also provided inmate work crews to complete projects at the Town Hall, Housing Authority, Camp
Laurelwood and Spencer Fairgrounds providing a total savings of over 65,000 for Spencer’s community.
“The Inmate Community Service Program has provided a true win-win for the town of Spencer and for the
Sheriff’s Department. With public school budgets continuing to struggle during these tough fiscal times our
inmate work crews are able to accomplish many projects at no cost resulting in a significant savings for
municipalities and local school districts while inmates who are selected for the program appreciate the
opportunity of a productive days work.” Evangelidis continued “With over two million dollars in savings for
Worcester County communities since last year, the Inmate Community Service Program continues to serve as a
great asset and as Sheriff I am thrilled to provide this much needed and valuable resource to complete projects
which help to maintain our public schools.”
On Wednesday Sheriff Evangelidis paid a visit Knox Trail Jr. High School to meet with Principal Joyce Nelson
and to see the work completed, “It’s always a pleasure to have Sheriff Evangelidis visit our school, it has been
over 18 years since our cafeteria walls have been painted and thanks to the Sheriff’s Inmate Community Service
Program everything now looks fresh and new and at no cost to our school budget. As a school administrator, I
can not think of a more cost effective program to help maintain our building and on behalf of Knox Trail Jr.
High I would like to enthusiastically thank Sheriff Evangelidis for providing such a wonderful service to our
school.” said Knox Trail School Principal Joyce Nelson.
For more information on the Sheriff’s Inmate Community Service Program please contact the Worcester County Sheriff’s
Office at 508-854-1938 or visit www.worcestercountysheriff.com