Tough Times Call For Tough Measures

Prison inmates are being used this year to pick prized variety apples in Washington state. The reason, not enough regular harvest workers to be found to do the job. The federal crack down on illegal immigrants has led to the shortage of workers, as its estimated that roughly seventy percent of seasonal workers are illegals. Using prison work crews is nothing new but in today’s politically correct world it can lead to controversy, with cries of “slave labor” being tossed about. In reality, prisoners chosen to do this type of work are model prisoners who welcome the chance to get outside the prison setting and enjoy the opportunity to give back to the community while getting some fresh air, pay, and actual sunlight. Is it an ideal situation? Perhaps not, but farmers need to be able to get their fruit off the trees before a hard frost or face devastating losses; while federal and state governments need to be able to address the illegal immigrant issue rather than turn a blind eye. Immigration reform is something that has to happen soon in this nation. In the mean time, using inmates to harvest produce just might remedy a situation that could otherwise turn into an economic disaster.