More than a dozen eastern North Carolina counties reported losses of about 80 percent to their tobacco and corn crop. Though inmate work is normally restricted to public projects, the state of emergency allows the inmates to work on the farms. Another 37 prisoner work crews continue to help communities clean up trash and debris. Crews worked in Brunswick, Carteret, Duplin, Greene, New Hanover, Onslow and Pender counties. There were 70 inmates working in Pender County 50, in Carteret County and 50 in or near Wilmington.
Correctional officers supervise the prisoner work crews.
The squads are part of the community work program which puts inmates to work in short term, manual labor projects for local governments at no cost. Hubert - Gov. Jim Hunt today directed the Department of Correction to send state prisoners to Onslow County to help farmers with crops severely damage by Hurricane Bertha. Correctional officers are supervising 10 crews totaling 100 minimum custody inmates at five Onslow Country farms that were selected by the Onslow County Agricultural Extension Office. Three of the prisoner crews are from Carteret Correctional Center, two from Duplin and five from New Hanover. Though inmate work is normally restricted to public projects, the state of emergency allows the inmates to work on the farms.