Features
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Medford
taunfty &ila& Farm Program
SECTION B Q MEDKORD, OREGON, SUNDAY. AUGUST 4. 1963 PAGES 1 to 8
Misdemeanor Prisoners Help Raise Food for Local Institutions
By EVA HAMILTON
Mail Tribune Stall Writer
Some sages of old, modern psychologists and maiy
philosophers, writing during the in-between years, laid
the foundation for the program now under way at the
Jackson county farm, 5465 Sauth Pacific highway.
For all believed there is therapy for man's ills in
the good earth. They saw a solution to many of man's
problems in the tilling of the soil, on ranch "or in garden.
Each had his own way of saying it just as Jackson
county officials have today. However, they were all
talking about the same thing. The doctors recommended
it. The poets sang about it.
In a seed catalog a little verse from Saadi, Persian
poet, written in 1258, has been adopted by the company
to bring the message to prospective buyers of bulbs.
It reads:
"If of thy mortal goods thou art bereft,
And from thy slender store two loaves
alone to thee are left,
Sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed tiiy soul."
At the Jackson county farm, where misdemeanor
prisoners are growing cabbages as beautiful in the eyes
of Tommy Dunn, overseer, as they were to the school
"marm" in Edna Ferber's novel of the 1920s, they feed
more than the soul.
The school marm said "Cabbages are beautiful."
County officials say they are filled with nutrition. They
supply the tables at counly institutions along with the
meat also produced at the farm.
The cabbages, beets, potatoes, onions, carrots and
prospective tomatoes were checked by county officials
on a recent inspection tour of the farm.
The onions and carrots were sampled by the group,
who also predicted that the best tomato crop in Jackson
county will be produced on the Jackson county farm.
Originated by Commissioner Ed Taylor, District At
torney Alan Holmes, District Judge Loren L. Sawyer
and former Jackson County Sheriff Joe Walsh as a pilot
program, the farm project is now in its second year.
Last year 31,000 pounds of produce came from the
farm to feed residents of the farm home, boys and girls,
detained in the Jackson county juvenile detention home,
and inmates of the county jail. In other words, all Jack-
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m urn ij ;
Tommy Dunn, now overseer of the Jackson county
farm, can produce his own corned beef and cabbage right
from the project. Here he shows garden specimens to
county officials on inspection. He likes the farm and
wants to stay, he told them.
son counly institutional menus, according to Commis
sioner Taylor, were improved, vitamin-wise and every
other way, with the addition of the fresh vegetables.
The ground used for the garden, grain field and
pasture (50 acres in all) was formerly the county's experi
mental farm. The plantings this year include 15 acres
of barley, 18 acres of alfalfa and three acres of vegeta
ble garden. The remainder is pasture land.
Only the misdemeanor cases work at the farm and
they must volunteer. No one is required to do the farm
assignments, but there is no shortage of volunteers, ac
cording to District Attorney Alan Holmes.
Judge Sawyer, who describes the philosophy involved
in the program as in keeping with that of the U.S. Navy
in operation of the "brig," says, "We keep them so busy
all day that they will be ready to go to bed at night.
"I'm convinced that this project is not costing the
counly money. I think we're making money. The county
realized a small profit last year without considering the
money saved in rehabilitation," Sawyer continued. "A
good start has been made but I think the program
should be expanded to where we can have an honor
farm, a place for the offenders to go and live and serve
out time.
"This was the original thought we had in launching
the pilot program. (Under the present program the pris
oners go back to janl at night and return to the farm
again in the morning.) Only the minimum security risks
are placed on the farm. The revolving door drunks, I
call them," Sawyer added. "They go in and out of jail."
Need Follow-Up Program
"We need a follow-up program for drunks," Sawyer
said, "to channel them into Alcoholics Anonymous. We
are hoping that we can gel a program of this type which
will provide counseling. Eighty-five per cent of the cases
that come into the court are directly or indirectly the
result of drinking. And, the ones who come into court,
the ones who end up in jail, are only 10 per cent of the
whole drinking problem. The others aren't bothering the
courts but they are probably bothering their families
and neighbors," Sawyer summarized.
County Sheriff De Armond Leigh, successor to Sher
iff Walsh, is as enthusiastic about the project as his
predecessor.
"A person can't stop being active all at once even
if he is a law violator. When men are placed in jail with
no work to do they become worse instead of better. When .
they work on the farm all day they come in tired, go
to bed and go to sleep," Leigh contended. "It is a valu
able rehabilitation program even though the period is
short that most of them are in jail.
"It is too bad we can't get the felony cases out,
too," Leigh stated, adding that it would be too expen
sive for the county since guards would have to accom
pany the prisoners.
Do Irritating Things
"It is surprising," he clarified at this point, "the irri
tating tilings they do just because they have nothing
to do. Some times they gather up papers, start fires,
collect things from their meals, store them up, particu
larly coffee, and try to reheat them with a cell fire.
Just anything to be annoying."
The farm furnished work for an average of 44.9 per
sons per day in June, the sheriff said. There were 144
prisoners jailed during June and 3,691 prison meals
served. The prisoners worked 2,432 hours on the farm,
"There have been no disturbances caused by the
ones working on the farm since they went on the
job," Taylor said.
The farm supports 22 head of cattle at this time and
the county court plans to increase the number and main
tain between 30 and 35 in the herd at all times. The
meat is pit in lockers for institutional serving.
Moves Into parley Field
Taylor moved into the barley field to I'emonstrate
that the crop is waist high.
All members of the inspection group walked through
the pasture, milling through the herd of cattle while
Dunn, who began his career on the farm as a misde
meanor case, reported the latest news. He pointed out
the four little calves recently born on the farm.
He says he doesn't miss the alcoholic drinks that got
him into various troubles now that he is working in the
soil and the fresh air. He is now a paid worker, has his
car license back and his car insurance, he announced
as proof of his changed conduct.
Sentences are reduced through good work and good
behavior on the farm and in the jail.
"I hope this program works," Dunn whispered in
an aside. "I really enjoy it here. I want to keep on here."
He was born on a stock ranch in Wyoming, where he
grew up. Later, he farmed in Idaho.
"He's a good farmer," the inspection group chorused
for him. "I like to watch things grow," Dunn replied,
lifting his eyes to the wide panorama of southern Ore
gon fields and hills, limited by no walls and few fences.
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warm
Tnese county otlicials seemed to cause a stir in the youngest ranks of the herd. But the older cattle refused to
n afternoon. Sheriff Leigh is in the lead while Commissioner Faber and District Attorney Holmes are at an
c - - - v. uiub. value tt-iuou iu iiiuvc cii in viicir uuui pasiure on
ssioner Faber and District Attorney Holmes are at an apparent standstill.
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fliuHpa Tavli.r ne Piclnl In "Honrw V rats rnal If?cl9
in the current presentation of the play at the Shakespear
This typical work crew of misdemeanor prisoners was snapped during the inspec- can festival, according to the audience. Here, Sheriff
linn nf the nroirrl. The mrn had usert the abandoned snadinc fork to net carrots for the Leich and District Attorney Holmes eat onions without an
H..n4 ...u 4i, n..n.r rnfM Snniii,tinn ti nhqena iha uinrlr niiHifnr at thp rniintv farm
guceid. wiiu tu uiv,u mc .uuunjr laiui, iuliuuihb ou p i oji.j ui iu - j
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Thry weren't dressed for the job. but Jackson rounty officials, inspecting the county farm, waded Tight in to Ihe gar
den pajrhJiiire. left to right. District Attorney Alan Holmes shows a bnn-h of carrots to Commissioner Ed Tavlor, who
elufrh'rs s'fat head of cabbage. Commissioner Don Faber discusses the quality of the carrots ana tounty snenu ue
Armond Leigh remarks that the jM,fre ready !tr,l:arvcst . The crew has been harvesting them for two weeks.
G Tommy Dunn find timn for some "Do it yourself" projects at the county farm. The cultivator he is using in thii
photo la one ha made, Tho front wheel was formerly on a bicycle,
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