THE RIGHTWAY— PEFmember Steven Drake oversees a leaf and stem cutting project.


Soil, seeds, sun and water revitalize inmates


Story and photos By DEBORAH A. MILES When you plant a


SHAWN USHER


garden, it means you believe in tomorrow. For the inmates at Mohawk Correctional Facility in Rome, that proverb is especially true for the ones participating in


the horticulture program. Twice a day, you can find a group of 20


men in the prison’s greenhouse filled with every kind of flower imaginable. The men were sent to the medium-security facility on charges such as arson, rape and criminal possession of an illegal substance. They are hoping when their tomorrows come, they will get jobs as floral designers, horticulture specialist


growers or landscape gardeners. PEF member Steven Drake, a vocational


instructor 4, has been teaching horticulture to state inmates for the past 18 years. “It’s a diverse program,” Drake said.


“The inmates learn every aspect of horticulture, including all work related to nursery and garden centers, greenhouses, landscaping, floral design and ground maintenance. They can become proficient in 17 different job titles.” The inmates grow nearly 80,000


annuals a year for a variety of projects. Some of the plants are transferred to the grounds of the Utica State Office Building, Utica County state troopers’ barracks and to the master gardeners of Oneida County. They make evergreen wreaths during the holiday season, and in summer donate homegrown vegetables to Rome’s rescue mission. “We provide flowers and plants for


SUNY’s Institute of Technology. SUNY provides the raw materials and my guys grow them from scratch,” Drake said. “It’s a win-win situation. “We spend a great deal of energy


assisting community-service projects. Heads of agencies contact our superintendent and ask to receive flowers. What we do has been spread by word-of- mouth.”


Page 16—The Communicator June 2012 Last year, the word reached Albany and


the state Office of General Services requested flowers for the governor’s mansion and state campus. Drake said, along with Mohawk, horticulture programs at Marcy and Midstate correctional facilities work together to meet the demand.


There is more to the


program than learning how to grow a bouquet of flowers from seeds. It’s about planting new ideas into these men so they can have better lives. “These men are here for


ANDREW CRISCOLO


many different reasons,” said PEF member Andrew Criscolo, who supervises all of Mohawk’s wide variety of vocational programs.


“The horticultural


program and our other programs not only teach them to have skills working with their hands, but foster a sense of pride in what they do and accomplish,” Criscolo said. One inmate, John


Smith, said he enjoys working with his hands,


PEF Information Line: 1-800-553-2445 JOHN


SMITH


JOE TOMASO and DAN PASSERO


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