Environmentally-Oriented Job Training
CROP has developed an innovative program called “No Fences” that will be located on environmentally-oriented Go-Green working ranches. These ranches will provide low-risk inmates with an opportunity to continue their rehabilitation and education in a facility that is geared to reflect today’s focus upon a green economy. The ranches, which could house up to 2,000 inmates each, will incorporate, where appropriate, wind farms, solar farms, biodiesel production, organic vegetable farming, and fish farms. While staying at the ranches, inmates will continue with their overall education and with required training classes while also being trained for jobs in the green economy. In addition, provision will be made for family visiting on weekends to help facilitate family healing and reunification. CROP will be able to house inmates in these facilities for a much lower cost than the state currently spends per inmate and placement in the No Fences program can help to reduce overcrowding in state and local prison facilities. CROP is working with state and local officials to identify potentially eligible low-risk inmates for the program. Officials are also considering the idea of alternative sentencing for first-time, nonviolent offenders where they would be sent to one of the ranches instead of placement in CDCR at a higher cost to the taxpayers.
“No Fences”
A Go-Green Working Ranch
The Vision:
CROP’s vision for its “No Fences” program is to build a series of environmentally-oriented facilities that can house and train inmates (and possibly alternatively-sentenced, non-violent first time offenders) in rehabilitation-oriented settings that also provide job training opportunities for today’s Green Jobs marketplace. The “No Fences” program is designed to create a facility that will provide on-going rehabilitative programming that includes job training, counseling and mentoring, and efforts to heal and reunite families. The “No Fences” ranches will incorporate the following elements:
“No Fences” Organic Farming
Public awareness of the value of organically-grown produce has increased dramatically creating an increasing demand for this type of product. This demand is creating a growing job market for employees skilled in this field. Participants in CROP’s “No Fences” ranches will learn all of the aspects of organic farming from first-hand experience.
“No Fences” Wind Energy Program
Where conditions are appropriate, CROP’s “No Fences” ranches will incorporate the installation of renewable energy wind farms for the purpose of generating electrical power for internal operations and for export to the State’s power grid.
Training will be available on the various aspects of wind farm technology, construction, and maintenance.
“No Fences” Solar Power Program Where conditions are appropriate, CROP’s “No Fences” ranches will install solar panel farms to utilize the renewable energy of the sun to generate electrical power that can be used on-site and exported to the power grid.
Training will be available on all aspects of solar energy including manufacturing, construction, installation, and maintenance.
"No Fences" Fish Farming
CROP’s “No Fences” ranches will incorporate the usage of environmentally-appropriate fish farming operations that have a synergy with corresponding crops used for the production of biofuels. Fish ponds will be created that will intertwine through areas planted with crops that can be turned into bio fuels. As the fish live and grow in the ponds, they simultaneously fertilize the surrounding crops. After the fish reach marketing size, they are moved to storage ponds until they can be taken to market for sale; after that, the cycle begins again.
The fish farm operations create training opportunities for employment in the area of providing a high-quality protein food for which there is an increasing demand.
"No Fences" Bio Diesel Working Ranch
CROP’s “No Fences” ranches will plant crops that can be transformed into various bio fuels, such as bio-diesel and jet fuel. These agricultural crops are not of the kind that would impact the nation’s food supply chain, such as corn which is used in the production of ethanol.
With its private sector partners, CROP will build processing facilities that will convert its crops into bio fuels and these activities will also provide job training opportunities in the related green energy construction and processing fields.
