TYLER, Texas — If you blink, you might miss it. Right off State Highway 155, there's a four-acre garden, where Smith County Jail inmates can come to work for a good cause.
"The sheriffs garden has been in place for well over a dozen years, and thousands and thousands of pounds of vegetables and produce have been made during that time," said Smith County Pct. 2 Commissioner John Moore.
To be exact, more than 160,000 pounds of produce have been donated to the East Texas Food Bank from the garden. Although the program has been a success for a while, Thursday was the start of something new.
"Organics is brand new to the Smith County Jail garden," Moore said.
That organic compost and soil is made right here in East Texas. This change is expected to result in up to 50% more crops.
"One of the goals eventually is to take this new organic concept that’s being pioneered here in Smith County and take it to the other 253 counties in Texas that also have inmate gardens," Moore said.
In the garden, inmates also get a chance to grow not just vegetables, but they're also growing new life skills for their future.
"I see the recidivism in the jail when people commit crimes and come back because they don’t have a trade or a skill. I’d like to try to eliminate that and one of the ways I think we can try is to find a certification for them from learning how to do this sort of work," Moore said.
Giving them time outside and a useful skill isn’t the only thing inmates get from working in the garden. Once the hard work is done, Smith County Sheriff Larry Smith promises something else. Each inmate gets a double-meat Whataburger, apple pie, large fry and a large drink for their hard work.