to local elementary schools for carving and decoration, an idea that came from one of the inmates. "I'm very impressed to see the inmates get involved," said Wiegert.

The prison facility in Utah is not the only one to implement such a program. As far back as World War I,

It's not surprising that Tony Perez enjoys his time in the garden. “It’s wonderful … to watch it grow from nothing to something ... ,” said Perez. “It allows you to get your mind thinking about what’s next in life.”

It is surprising where the garden is located -- in the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Utah, where Perez is an inmate.

What used to be a guard dog training area in the prison, is now an oasis of shade tarps, vegetables, fruit trees and vines. It's all part of the inmate management program at Purgatory. With the help of inmates and volunteers, Sergeant Tim Wiegert spent two weeks tilling the soil and preparing the area. Donations from local sources included plants, irrigation, fertilizer, shade covers, concrete, and guidance from the state university.

The program teaches inmates responsibility and skills. Three inmates, including Perez, were initially assigned to the garden crew. Others have chipped in and expressed interest in joining the regular group, and Perez has already been offered a job at a local nursery. Plans for the Fall include growing pumpkins to donate to local elementary schools for carving and decoration, an idea that came from one of the inmates. "I'm very impressed to see the inmates get involved," said Wiegert.

The prison facility in Utah is not the only one to implement such a program. As far back as World War I, g

rgatory Correctional Facility in Utah, where Perez is an inmate.

What used to be a guard dog training area in the prison, is now an oasis of shade tarps, vegetables, fruit trees and vines. It's all part of the inmate management program at Purgatory. With the help of inmates and volunteers, Sergeant Tim Wiegert spent two weeks tilling the soil and preparing the area. Donations from local sources included plants, irrigation, fertilizer, shade covers, concrete, and guidance from the state university.

The program teaches inmates responsibility and skills. Three inmates, including Perez, were initially assigned to the garden crew. Others have chipped in and expressed interest in joining the regular group, and Perez has already been offered a job at a local nursery. Plans for the Fall include growing pumpkins to donate to local elementary schools for carving and decoration, an idea that came from one of the inmates. "I'm very impressed to see the inmates get involved," said Wiegert.

The prison facility in Utah is not the only one to implement such a program. As far back as World War I,

s and volunteers, Sergeant Tim Wiegert spent two weeks tilling the soil and preparing the area. Donations from local sources included plants, irrigation, fertilizer, shade covers, concrete, and guidance from the state university.

The program teaches inmates responsibility and skills. Three inmates, including Perez, were initially assigned to the garden crew. Others have chipped in and expressed interest in joining the regular group, and Perez has already been offered a job at a local nursery. Plans for the Fall include growing pumpkins to donate to local elementary schools for carving and decoration, an idea that came from one of the inmates. "I'm very impressed to see the inmates get involved," said Wiegert.

The prison facility in Utah is not the only one to implement such a program. As far back as World War I,

nd skills. Three inmates, including Perez, were initially assigned to the garden crew. Others have chipped in and expressed interest in joining the regular group, and Perez has already been offered a job at a local nursery. Plans for the Fall include growing pumpkins to donate to local elementary schools for carving and decoration, an idea that came from one of the inmates. "I'm very impressed to see the inmates get involved," said Wiegert.

The prison facility in Utah is not the only one to implement such a program. As far back as World War I,

to local elementary schools for carving and decoration, an idea that came from one of the inmates. "I'm very impressed to see the inmates get involved," said Wiegert.

The prison facility in Utah is not the only one to implement such a program. As far back as World War I, gardens have been documented in prisoner of war camps, such as the P.O.W. camp at Ruhleben, Germany, where British prisoners formed their own gardening club and were accepted into Britain's Royal Horticultural Society.

Gardening and floral programs have found their way into numerous correctional institutions across the U.S., meeting with surprising success. Not only do the programs brighten up the atmosphere and provide inmates with productive work, but they often help cut food costs by producing vegetables or generate additional revenue through local sales, in some cases through a florist shop collaborating with or operated by the institution.

Today, at the state corrections facility in Elmore County Alabama, inmates are cultivating a new garden behind prison walls. They plan to send the flowers they grow to local nursing homes and services for the elderly. "I've never really started something and carried it all the way through," said William Kizziah, one of several inmates who works in the garden. Thanks to a local ministry known as the Order of St. Dismas, another garden has already sproute