Editorial

Legislature restoring WEC to its proper role

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

The Legislature is close to rectifying one of those "well, duh ..." situations with the Work Ethic Camp.

We're sure there was some good reason, or at least a politically expedient reason, for prohibiting the Department of Correctional Services from entering into a work arrangement with educational institutions, although it escapes us for now, pardon the pun.

The prison system could contract to provide labor for any other board or agency of the state, natural resources district or political subdivision -- just not a school district, educational service unit, community college, state college or university.

Lawmakers probably didn't envision the Work Ethic Camp when they enacted the prohibition, and WEC officials didn't even know it existed -- until someone pointed it out last summer.

That was quite a blow to Southwest Nebraska schools, which benefitted to the tune of a couple of million dollars since the Work Ethic Camp opened in 2001.

It's been gratifying to see the khaki-clad offenders hard at work around town, much of it going to improve schools.

WEC labor was used to build the new locker room and concession stand at Weiland Field, demolish the old locker rooms at the high school, install bleachers at the McCook High School track, and move East Ward to the new McCook Elementary location. Landscaping and dozens of other tasks have been accomplished with the help of the men and women trying to get their lives back on track at the Work Ethic Camp.

WEC and school cooperation has gone even farther, despite the labor ban, with the establishment of the CAST welding training facility on B Street, where WEC offenders as well as high school and college students learn a valuable trade.

Sen. Mark Christensen's LB 429 to lift the restriction was amended into LB 63 -- a catch-all prison and crime bill -- which has advanced to final reading.

Let's hope the bill passes as expected, restoring the Work Ethic Camp, its offenders and staff to their appropriate and productive role in the community.

Comments

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I'm sure somebody thought there would be convicts running around the schools and would therefore, pose a threat to the students. That's the only thing I could think of.

-- Posted by McCook1 on Thu, May 21, 2009, at 11:33 AM
Given the nature of the convicts that are housed at the WEC, I do not believe that they pose any higher threat than the peers of the students. The peers of the students just havent been caught.

-- Posted by seentoomuch on Thu, May 21, 2009, at 11:39 AM

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