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The Greening of
Corrections

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U.S. Department of Justice
National Institute of Corrections

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Creating a Sustainable System

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U.S. Department of Justice
National Institute of Corrections
320 First Street, NW
Washington, DC 20534

Morris L. Thigpen
Director
Thomas J. Beauclair
Deputy Director
Sherry Carroll
Correctional Program Specialist

National Institute of Corrections
www.nicic.gov

The Greening of
Corrections

Creating a Sustainable System

NIC Accession Number 024914
March 2011

Mindy Feldbaum, AED
Frank Greene, RicciGreene Associates
Sarah Kirschenbaum, The Corps Network
Debbie Mukamal and Megan Welsh,
John Jay College of Criminal Justice,
Prisoner Reentry Institute
Dr. Raquel Pinderhughes

the National Institute of Corrections, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions
in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official
position of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The National Institute of Corrections reserves the right to reproduce, publish, translate,
or otherwise use, and to authorize others to publish and use all or part of the copyrighted
materials contained in this publication.

Cover photos: left and right provided by RicciGreene Associates

This document was produced under Cooperative Agreement Number 09PEI27GKA8 from

Contents

Message from the Director

i

Introduction

iii

Greening of Correctional Facilities

vii

Completing the Sustainable Model:

20

Preparing and Training Inmates
Correctional Industries: Creating Sustainable

38

Products/Services and a Green Workforce
Green Reentry Programs

44

Recommendations for Greening Prisons

48

and Jails
Conclusion: The Sustainable Correctional/

50

Detention Facility of the Future
Appendices

54

Acknowledgments

We would like to acknowledge the valuable contributions made to this publication
by Gina Honeycutt, Camile and George Camp of the Association of State Correctional
Administrators, Dan Pacholke, Brad Bogue, Tommy Norris and the American
Correctional Association Clean and Green Committee members, the Majora Carter
Group, and Kibira Young. A special thanks goes to Sherry Carroll of the National
Institute of Corrections who served as an invaluable partner and resource through
the process.

We would also like to recognize Anne Quito, Brian Lemen and Melanie Yu for the
design and layout of the publication and Ivan Charner for his support and advice.
And lastly, we want to give a big thanks to Noreen Beatley, Caitlin Rose Dailey, and
Stephanie Davison for their writing and researching contributions to the publication.

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Message from the Director

Today, with the increase in the prison population combined with the rising costs
of protecting public safety and rehabilitating prisoners, correctional leaders across
the country are challenged with operating at maximum efficiency to provide quality
services in a time of limited resources. These challenges range from rising energy
costs, increased water use and food, to the provision of education and training for
prisoners to help them successfully transition into their communities. While many
of these challenges may seem daunting, we believe some of the most innovative and
greatest cost savings solutions can be found in the greening of corrections.
	

	

i

Message from the Director

“While many of these challenges may seem
The Greening of Corrections publication provides

daunting, we believe some of the most

correctional professionals with a framework to gain a

innovative and cost savings solutions can

general understanding of sustainability practices
and principles and to identify examples of innovative

be found in the greening of corrections.”

and practical applications of operations, programs,
and management strategies for self-sustaining facilities. The publication highlights
recommendations on how to get started and provides a range of examples from upgrading
existing correctional facilities with more efficient lighting, heating, and cooling systems
to recycling food waste and organic gardening to a more ambitious and visionary example
using a Net Zero buildings model, with net zero carbon emissions, energy use, and waste
production. We hope that this information will help jumpstart your sustainability efforts
at your facilities. In addition, the publication offers helpful information on the “greening
of occupations,” promising sectors that are more open to hiring individuals with criminal
records, and a summary of environmental literacy curricula that could prove useful when
implementing new or adapting existing green education and training programs.

We believe the path to sustainability is not only technically feasible for correctional facilities
but also critical as it allows us to reduce our costs of doing business, assist in making our
communities more sustainable, help our inmates reintegrate into society in a productive and
meaningful way, and ultimately, ensure that we are preserving our environment now and
for generations to come.

©Benjamin Drummond / bdsjs.com

Morris L. Thigpen
Director
National Institute of Corrections

ii

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

INTRODUCTION

A

lthough the primary goal of corrections is safety

facilities, 2) identify green job training programs and

for the community and for those housed and

jobs that provide viable employment opportunities

working within the facilities, increasingly, sustainability

in the emerging green economy for individuals in

goals and strategies are being integrated into

correctional facilities and those reentering communities,

policies and plans within the corrections community.

and 3) make prison industry products, jobs, and

Accordingly, more and more leaders within corrections

services more environmentally friendly. This paper

are evaluating the long-term impacts of its buildings,

seeks to lay out the current landscape of green

operations, and programs on the environment,

education and training programs and correctional

community, and economy, and are making decisions on

industries through surveys conducted with members

management, resource allocation, and programming

of the Association of State Correctional Administrators

based on green principles and practices. The greening

(ASCA) and the National Correctional Industries

of corrections provides an extraordinary opportunity to

Association (NCIA) and two focus groups conducted

create more efficient, resilient, and sustainable prisons

at the NCIA Annual Conference.

and jails, with benefits that include reducing the
financial and human capital costs of prisons through
reduced energy and resource consumption and
engaging inmates in hands-on work experiences
and education and training to prepare them for jobs
in the emerging green economy.
	

“The information in this paper is not meant to
be exhaustive, particularly since sustainability
practices, production of green goods and services,
and green education and training programs are
constantly evolving as new green processes,
materials, and technologies come to market.
Instead, the greening of corrections paper serves
as a starting point for the corrections field by
providing both a general understanding of
sustainability practices and principles and by
identifying examples of innovative and practical
applications of operations, programs, and
management strategies for self-sustaining facilities.”
This paper will examine the current tools, strategies,
and practices of sustainability activities within

iii

Introduction

Photo provided by Washington State Department of Correctons

correctional facilities and provide basic information

reentry including environmental literacy, 3) the current

and recommendations to practitioners in applying this

landscape of the greening of correctional industries

knowledge to their own facilities. The summary of

through processes, products, and partnerships, 4) the

current research, strategies, and practices is broken

greening of reentry programs, and 5) recommendations

into five distinct sections focused on: 1) the greening

and “how-to” guidance for correctional facility staff in

of correctional facilities and their operations, 2) the

implementing sustainability practices and programs

education and training of inmates to prepare for

and leadership, ranging in complexity and investment.

iv

Photo provided by Rhode Island Department of Correctons

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

GREENING OF
CORRECTIONAL
FACILITIES

vii

Greening of Correctional Facilities

T

raditional practice in correctional facility design and operations has used programs

and techniques that could well be termed “sustainable,” but would benefit from

an overarching vision that connects these activities with the greater goal of contributing
to the sustainability of our society. The green or sustainability movement has gained
acceptance because it proposes that we examine our activities for ways to reduce their
impact on the natural world. The current patterns of human activity, often wasteful
of resources, toxic to habitat, water, and air and demeaning to the human spirit are
undergoing an examination in many areas to find ways to make them more harmonious
with the natural world, the better to provide for our continued existence. Because of the
degree of order and control of human behavior, the need to create productive activities,
and opportunities to reduce the economic burden placed on society, correctional
facilities represent an attractive “living laboratory” environment for self-sustaining
facilities. The current view of sustainability through a correctional field perspective is
that a triple bottom line of “3 E’s” must be pursued in balance: 1, 2
Environment - in reducing negative impact, often expressed as the carbon
footprint, but also including pollution and waste stream reduction, of the buildings

Environment

on their environment.
Economic - in reducing costs over the lifetime of the buildings. This might also

Sustainability

include the opportunity for revenue-generating activities.
Equity - in targeting programs that will increase the possibility of redirecting

Economy

Equity

or “correcting” the behavior of the individuals whose activities have resulted in
their incarceration. This would have benefits for the individual, for their families,
and for the communities impacted either positively by successful reentry
or negatively, if the released offender commits another crime.
With buildings that are environmentally friendly, low in operating cost, pollution, and
waste, and with green programs that result in desirable products and a workforce
trained in high demand job skills, the correctional facility may be an ideal case

“The current view of
sustainability through

for organizing around these three tenets of sustainability as it can be viewed as a

a correctional field

microcosm of society. With a properly trained and motivated staff, a cooperative

perspective is that

relationship between communities and strategic partners, and a proactive mobilization

a triple bottom line

of the human resources available in the sentenced population, a holistic and sustainable
system can be achieved.

of ‘3 E’s’ must be
pursued in balance…”

Where to Begin: What Is a Green Building?
From a sustainability standpoint, correctional facilities are 24-hour energy intensive
structures that focus on security, with most existing building stock constructed
with little regard to efficient lighting, heating, and cooling. New models for building
design and existing building retrofits have emerged that focus on energy efficiency
and conservation. This has been driven mainly by federal and state policies and the
desire for cost savings in a time of fiscal restraint. The benefit of greening correctional
facilities is that they will consume fewer resources, create less pollution, and provide
healthier environments for the users – inmates, staff, visitors, and administration.

1

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Generally, the key features of green building are:

energy efficiency and is the benchmark in North

• Site development that encourages mass transit

America for evaluating the relative sustainability

use and renews land
• Buildings that are low energy/resource consumption
• Processes that minimize waste and create healthy
byproducts
• Healthful interior environments that enhance
productivity
• Construction using materials that are local,
renewable, recycled, and recyclable
Green buildings are those planned, designed,
constructed and operated in harmony with nature, with
as little impact as possible on the natural environment.
There are numerous ways to quantify the “greenness”
of a building and the next two sections will highlight
two of them - Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design (LEED) and Energy Star.3 Energy Star is
designed to measure a building’s performance, create
practical operating benchmarks/goals for energy
use, and help monitor energy efficiency. The focus
of Energy Star is energy use reduction. LEED, on the
other hand, is a much broader approach encompassing
“people, planet, and profit.” The “triple bottom line”
takes into account economic, environmental, and social
equity issues throughout the entire building process
from concept to design, construction and operations.

or “greenness” of buildings. Within LEED, there are
alternative “scorecards” that respond precisely to the
basis of a construction project, i.e. new construction
(LEED-NC), renovation on existing buildings (LEEDEB), and interior construction (LEED-IC). A recent
innovation by the USGBC is the notion of an “overlay”
to the base scoring templates to recognize the
different baseline characteristics of building types
whose sustainability profiles vary significantly from
the generic office building model used as the LEED
standard. Because correctional and detention facilities
do not fit the typical profile of generic office buildings,
a LEED/Justice (LEED-J) overlay template has been
proposed, which would weight certain categories
differently than the standard model, and perhaps adopt
different or additional prerequisites. The precedent
for this concept has been established by the Green
Health Care Initiative with an overlay template for
health facilities. Ongoing dialogue between the
American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the USGBC
suggests that this concept could be extended to
detention and correctional facilities, and the formation
of a Technical Assistance Group (TAG) to prepare
the detention/correctional facility overlay template
is underway.
	

(See http://www.green-buildings.com/content/78308leed-vs-energy-star.) Both are the acknowledged
benchmarks nationally - which can help correctional
facility operators seek a pathway to making existing
or new facilities more sustainable.

LEED Rating System
and Justice Facilities

2

Sustainable Sites*

26 points possible

Water Efficiency*

10 points possible

Energy and Atmosphere*

35 points possible

The LEED process provides a yardstick for defining

Materials and Resources*

14 points possible

a green building and therefore, correctional facilities

Indoor Environmental Quality*

15 points possible

must have an understanding of the rating system.

Innovation and Design Process

6 points possible

Developed by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC),

Regional Priority Points

4 points possible

LEED has accelerated the trend towards

TOTAL Possible:

110

Greening of Correctional Facilities

Impact of State Mandates on Correctional
Facility Operations
More and more state governments are passing

alone, the Florida DOC saved almost $900,000.7

legislation to create standards for energy efficiency,

Since implementing the original measures, the Florida

solid waste reduction, and renewable energy. While

DOC has worked closely with FPL to implement other

these standards or “mandates” have an impact on

energy innovations. For example, in 2007, FPL and

all state agencies, departments of corrections are

partners debuted a microturbine generator at the

affected in different ways. States are also taking

Tomoka Correctional Institution in Daytona Beach.

different approaches to addressing energy efficiency

When the governor signed executive orders to reduce

(i.e., reducing energy consumption) and solid waste

greenhouse gas emissions, in 2007, all state agencies

reduction. For example, some states like Alabama,

had to implement new strategies for energy efficiency

Kentucky, and Tennessee are requiring specific

and require all new buildings be LEED certified. As a

reductions in energy consumption and waste over time.

result of earlier upgrades, the mandates had limited

Other states, including Arizona and Utah, take a more

impact on the Florida DOC.

holistic approach, addressing energy efficiency, solid
waste reduction and other green building practices

SOLID WASTE REDUCTION:

together by requiring all new buildings to be LEED

In 1991, the state of South Carolina passed a

certified.6 Some state departments of corrections view
these new requirements as a way to save money, limit
the negative impact on the environment, and become
innovators in the field. Consider two examples:

comprehensive law regulating solid waste management
and setting waste reduction and recycling goals. The
South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC)
worked with 50 other state agencies for the initial
implementation. By 2004, SCDC had diverted 50

ENERGY EFFICIENCY:

percent of its solid waste from landfills annually. By

In 2002, the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC)

2009, recycling cost avoidance/savings were estimated

was challenged to reduce its sky-rocketing energy

at $540,042 annually.8 Today, SCDC treats waste

costs. Staff worked closely with Florida Power &

reduction and recycling as a management practice,

Lighting Company (FPL) to update a variety of systems

not a state mandate. Prison industries teach inmates

while not threatening inmate security. These measures

how to recycle and upgrade donated computers for

included installing high efficiency lighting, updating

distribution to school districts. Some correctional

water fixtures, water conservation and control measures,

facilities support local recycling centers. In fact, in past

more efficient air conditioning, and eliminating aging

years SCDC recycling centers have received awards

steam laundry and cooking systems. In the first year

for excellence.

Each of the starred (*) categories has prerequisites

Innovations in LEED v.3 include greater emphasis

that do not have points available, but which must be

on the Energy and Atmosphere category and the

met before any points can be earned in that category.

introduction of Regional Priority Credits to make the

The Energy and Atmosphere category has the greatest

scorecard more sensitive to local climate and context.

number of points available. The point totals necessary

The operational profiles of detention and correctional

to earn a LEED Certification are: 5

facilities are distinct, and perhaps closest to that of
a hospital facility, which has densely occupied 24/7

40 points possible

mission critical facilities consuming greater energy

Silver

50 points possible

on an annual basis than do typical commercial or

Gold

60 points possible

Certified

Platinum

110 points possible

residential buildings. In addition, many correctional
facilities consume far greater amounts of water per
3

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

square foot than do standard building types. Finally,

the mainstream. The responses to the CIR are maintained

the need for security and robust construction makes

at the USGBC and are available to designers working

otherwise simple glazing and daylighting (the practice

on subsequent projects. There are numerous detention/

of placing windows or other openings and reflective

corrections projects that have gone through this

surfaces so that during the day natural light provides

process, and the CIR responses are great resources

effective internal lighting) criteria significant cost

for future projects. These CIRs and rulings can be

challenges in the detention/corrections building. To

found at www.usgbc.org.

address these concerns, the USGBC has instituted a

	

program of Credit Interpretation Requests (CIR) that
help designers and owners obtain guidance about
conditions specific to their projects that differ from

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The State of California suffers from particularly high energy costs and instability within its energy supply.
In fact, the state is often plagued with rolling brownouts (scheduled reductions in available voltage to a region)
and has experienced large-scale blackouts in the past decade. As a result, each state agency has taken drastic
action in reducing energy consumption and costs. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
(CDCR) has experienced substantial savings as a result of some of their energy efficiency measures. In 2008
alone, the California DCR saved more than $3 million.
CDCR Energy Savings Projects (Phase I) 2008
Annual
Savings ($)

Facility

Project Description

Valley State Prison for Women

Lighting improvements, kitchen equipment upgrade, laundry
improvements

174,954.56

Central California Women’s Facility

WWTP aerator improvements

78,801.16

Pleasant Valley state prison

WWTP aerator improvements, motor controls various lighting
retrofits

174,334.13

Wasco State Prison

HVAC control, housing unit fan VFDs various lighting retrofits

178,716.06

Corcoran State Prison

Energy management control systems

369,942.51

Mule Creek State Prison

Housing unit fan VFDs

234,487.35

CSP Los Angeles County

Refrigeration controls, various lighting retrofits HVAC controls

185,918.44

Ironwood State Prison

Housing unit fan VFDs

236,158.23

California Correctional Institution

Lighting improvements, boiler retrofit

466,121.44

RJ Donovan

Laundry upgrades, various lighting retrofits

166,266.72

California Training Facility

Motor upgrades, lift station VFD, various lighting retrofits

158,765.62

California Institution for Women

Lighting retrofit, HVAC control

99,884.56

Corcoran State Prison

Facility wide interior lighting retrofit

163,035.50

Mule Creek State Prison

Facility wide interior lighting retrofit

121,309.76

Major Lighting Retrofit Projects

4

North Kern State Prison

Facility wide interior lighting retrofit

150,156.09

CSP Los Angeles County

Facility wide interior lighting retrofit

234,362.63

Total

3,189,214.73

Greening of Correctional Facilities

location of the building is advantageous (e.g., with
access to mass transit). Some points will be achievable
with simple adjustments to operating procedures

Energy Star Program and
Energy Management Assessment

(introducing recycling and composting programs).
Many of the points will require capital investment to

For building operators not concerned with the full

achieve, particularly in the Energy and Atmosphere

scope of the LEED analysis and its seven categories

category. These are the points that have direct

of rating, most of which do not address operating

payback, with energy cost savings paying for the

costs, the Energy Star program may be a simpler and

investment in increased insulation/weatherization,

more focused way of performing an initial evaluation

more efficient systems, and even renewable energy

of the building’s energy performance in comparison

systems. Because the energy consumption in a

to benchmarks of model buildings.3 Energy Star is a

correctional facility is so great, the payback for

joint program of the U.S. Environmental Protection

renewable energy sources such as photovoltaic panels

Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy

and solar cooling/ heating is far more advantageous

(DOE) designed to bolster environmental protection

than for less intensively used buildings.

and energy savings through energy efficient products

	

and practices. (See http://www.energystar.gov/index.
cfm?c=about.ab_index)
Energy Star was created by the EPA in 1992
and provides building owners with strategic energy
management plans designed to benefit both the
environment, by reducing the 15 percent of greenhouses
gases attributable to buildings, and the owner’s bottom
line.3 The policies of Energy Star are designed to
overcome what the EPA/DOE describe as market
barriers (i.e. lack of information and split incentives)
to the adoption of cost-effective energy efficiency
products and services. See 	
com/content/78308-leed-vs-energy-star for more
information.

	

Buildings and Energy Star
Energy Star offers building owners a straightforward
way to adopt superior energy management and a way
to realize the cost savings and environmental benefits
that can result. EPA promotes a strategy that starts
with the organization’s top leadership, engages staff
throughout the organization, and uses standardized
measurement tools to help an organization get the
most from its energy efficiency investments. EPA
seeks to develop partnerships across the commercial
and industrial sectors to facilitate the development of
best practices and information sharing. While EPA will
partner with any interested organization, special focus
5

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

has been placed on those sectors for which EPA has

• EPA will continue to offer the Energy Star label

been able to develop new standardized measurement

for top performing buildings and work with

tools. These sectors include commercial real estate,

organizations to help them highlight the design,

public buildings, schools (K-12), higher education,

operations, and maintenance features that make

healthcare, hospitality, automobile manufacturing,

the buildings qualify.

cement manufacturing, wet corn milling, and others.
	

• EPA is collaborating with leaders in the Green
Buildings Industry to ensure that similar approaches
are used to recognize top energy performing
buildings in the Energy Star program as are used

• Top-level commitment to reduce energy waste.

for LEED certification.

Without this commitment, resources are often not
allocated to energy projects, and efficiency programs
are not sustained.

Rate Your Building’s Energy
Performance

• Routine assessment of organization-wide
performance against competitors and across one’s

The national energy performance rating is an external

own portfolio. Assessing energy use in all operations

benchmark that helps energy managers assess how

and all buildings results in resources being targeted

efficiently their buildings use energy relative to similar

to those facilities with the greatest potential for

buildings nationwide. The rating system’s 1–100 scale

improvement. Organizations can rank their own

allows everyone to quickly understand how a building

properties, learn from the high performers, and

is performing — a rating of 50 indicates average energy

upgrade the poor performers.

performance, while a rating of 75 or better indicates top

• Use of a systems-integrated approach to upgrade

performance. Using the Energy Star Portfolio Manager,

buildings. Sizing heating and cooling equipment,

statistically representative models are used to compare

integrating individual technical components, and

your building against similar buildings from a national

controlling, operating, and maintaining equipment

survey conducted by the Department of Energy’s

play a big role in the energy performance of

Energy Information Administration.10 This national

a building.

survey, known as the Commercial Building Energy
Consumption Survey (CBECS), is conducted every four

Distinguishing the top performing buildings based on
results from the national energy performance rating
system, EPA offers the Energy Star label as a way to
distinguish buildings that are top energy performers those scoring in the top 25 percent - which also meet
industry standards for indoor air quality.9 The following
are some quick facts about Energy Star:
• Thousands of organizations have applied for the
Energy Star and by the end of 2002, 1,100 top
performing buildings nationwide had earned the
prestigious label.
• As a group, Energy Star qualifying buildings use 40
percent less energy than the average building in the
United States, while providing quality space.
6

years, and gathers data on building characteristics and
energy use from thousands of buildings across the
United States. Your building’s peer group of comparison
is those buildings in the CBECS survey that have
similar building and operating characteristics. For more
information, visit the Department of Energy website
dedicated to CBECS at http://www.eia.doe.gov/
emeu/cbecs/.
	

Greening of Correctional Facilities

Figure 1: The Energy
Star Rating Process

Diagram excerpted from LEED user EBOM 2009 EAp2: Minimum Energy Efficiency Performance.11

	
  
7

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

The diagram on page 7 explains the Energy Star rating process, illustrating the
parallel processes for projects that fit the eligibility criteria directly, and for those
that are not eligible, but which can benefit from the analysis.

How the Rating System Works
While there is no benchmark standard for the rating of correctional facilities, energy
managers are able to use similar building types as a benchmark. Hospitals, like
correctional institutions, operate round-the-clock and house people in staff intensive
settings and are good candidates for use as benchmarks, as are other recently
completed buildings designed according to sustainable principles. While there is a
need for a corrections specific benchmark to simplify this evaluation process, the
current process is available and is a valid indicator of the energy performance of an
existing building.
	

	

Energy Reduction Strategy

How Do I Start? Cost-Effective Strategies for
Sustainable Correctional Facilities

COST

100
80

There is a demonstrated body of knowledge around the business case for various

60

sustainability strategies for correctional facilities. These include: clear short-and

40

long-term returns on investment, mitigation of the uncertainty of future energy

20

costs and supply, and the provision of education and training opportunities for
REDUCE

REFINE

RENEW

0
TIME

inmates that will result in marketable skills for the current or future labor market.
Strategies begin with three ways of reducing the energy consumption and cost
as illustrated in the diagram to the left.
	

8

Greening of Correctional Facilities

Ironwood State Prison and
California Energy Savings
consumption and the last two, on operational
approaches that can reduce costs and increase
sustainability.

1. Reduce Loads and Heating, Cooling,
and Lighting Demand
The greatest impact on energy use is obtained by
reducing the heating and cooling needs of buildings.
Tightening the building envelope to reduce heat
gain in summer and heat loss in winter and utilizing
favorable solar orientations can reduce energy
consumption as much as 40 percent. Many state
and federal incentives exist for these energy saving
measures. Strategies include:
• Add insulation to walls and roofs
• Reward energy saving behaviors of prisoners

Every state is facing
the reality of shrinking
budgets, increased energy
costs and potential energy
shortages—perhaps none
more than California.
As a result, the state
has taken drastic efforts
to reduce energy
consumption and, when
Photograph provided by California Dept.
possible, produce its
of Correction and Rehabilitation
own clean and renewable
energy. The Ironwood State Prison, a minimum and
medium custody male offender prison housing more
than 4,500 inmates, located along the desert border
of California and Arizona, faces unique challenges and
opportunities in addressing its energy needs.
	

and staff
• Upgrade windows, exterior doors, and
weatherize buildings
• Eliminate thermal bridging at foundations,
slab edges, parapets
• Utilize favorable south facing windows for
winter heat gain
• Shade east and west windows from summer
heat gain

2. Refine Systems to Increase Energy Efficiency
by Updating Building Systems and Equipment
Replacement of existing low efficiency equipment is

	

another source of energy cost reductions. With
reduced demand after adding insulation, the more
efficient equipment can be sized for smaller energy
loads, increasing savings by as much as an additional
40 percent. Again, many incentive and grant programs
exist that can reduce the initial capital outlay.
Strategies include:
• Install Energy Star-rated equipment/appliances
• Upgrade efficiency of boilers and heaters
• Modernize energy management systems
• Install energy efficient lighting
• Install lighting controls with occupancy and
daylight sensors

While few other prisons have installed
photovoltaic panels, it is possible in climates outside
of sunny California and is becoming a more popular
practice. For example, the Riverside Correctional Facility
in Philadelphia installed solar panels in 2008. Experts
estimate savings of 20-25 percent, with the project
paying for itself within 9 years of installation, and
saving over $ 1.1 million over anticipated 25-year life.
Other projects from New Jersey to Nevada have
9
also been initiated in recent years.

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

DENVER DETENTION
CENTER
Photo provided by RicciGreene Associates

The recently completed Denver Detention Center
is a model for current practice in detention center
planning and design. It is a LEED Gold facility
with well-insulated walls and roof, highly efficient
mechanical systems, and low projected water use
appropriate to its site in the arid high desert of
Colorado. Its location in the civic center of Denver,
with a tunnel connection to the new courthouse,
greatly reduces vehicular trips for prisoners, staff and
visitors. The building design is specifically intended
to reflect the solid and dignified limestone massing
of the adjacent Beaux Arts neo-Classical buildings
of the civic center, including the Denver Mint, with
no visible signifiers of a punitive purpose.
	

via solar collectors. Due to its constrained site and
budget, the Denver facility does not incorporate the
kind of green programs that represent the next step
in fully integrating the notion of a green building with
sustainable programs, like urban gardening training,
recycling, and other environmentally oriented job
skills. It is, however, an exemplary model of current
best practices.
	

To learn more about the Denver Detention Center, go to
www.denvergov.org/communitycorrections

10

Greening of Correctional Facilities

3. Renew Energy Use by Adopting Zero Carbon
or Lower Carbon Energy Sources

cost and effort. This is especially true when considering

A new model for building development is the concept

example, the food service side of correctional facilities

of Net Zero buildings, with net zero carbon emissions,

has the potential for innovation: current practice puts

the daily schedule and practices of inmates. For

energy use, and waste production. These buildings

large garbage disposals in kitchens, grinding food waste

balance the carbon created by their construction and

that is then flushed to the local water treatment plant.

operations with onsite and offsite renewable energy

Recycling that food waste by means of composting has

sources and resource offsets. This is a visionary and

several benefits: reduced load for the water treatment

ambitious goal, a standard that emphasizes the need

plant, reduced transportation-related needs for waste,

to balance energy with other environmental goals,

creation of valuable “clean” compost that can be used in

and a worthy long-term aspiration. With this goal in

gardening programs at the facility, sold to local farmers,

place, buildings can plan for incremental performance

or donated to community programs, and the training

upgrades over time, incorporating mature technologies

of inmates in the low-tech, low-entry barrier skills

as they become cost effective. Strategies include:

required to make this valuable product. Furthermore,

• Install on-site generation from renewable sources
(solar, wind, wood) including co-generation
energy plants

food service operations also offer the potential for
introduction of gardening and agriculture in both urban
and rural settings.
	

• Purchase from renewable energy sources
• Switch to lower carbon fuels

4. Mine Your Waste: Recycle, Reuse, and Compost
Daily operations of correctional facilities often consume

Photo provided by Washington State Department of Correctons

resources that can easily be reduced with minimal

11

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

gardening skills can be directed even to inmates serving

5. Rethink Waste Water and Management

relatively short sentences, and serve as a transition

Water is one of the most valuable and limited resources

to reentry programs. According to the ASCA survey

for human life. Correctional facilities and their inmates

conducted for this paper,15 approximately 22 percent

use large amounts of water; as such reduction and

of states (of which 49 members representing 34 states

reuse of water is an essential element of managing a

responded – a full list of states surveyed is available

green facility. Water reduction and reuse can be done

in the appendix) are linking green vocational training

in a variety of ways. Consider the following:

opportunities with the broader sustainability efforts of
the prison, mostly with greenhouse and horticulture
programs or farm projects.
	

• Low flow toilets and appliances can greatly reduce
water consumption in a facility, while also decreasing
the risk of fixtures being clogged by inmates forcing
clothing into the piping. An innovative technology
successfully implemented in several facilities is
a vacuum flush system that radically reduces the
water volume and the opportunity for clogging
pipes. The system is fully compatible with the
operational need of a secure facility and is price
competitive with conventional systems.
• Green roofs reduce runoff into storm water systems,
cooling both the spaces below and the neighboring

“Properly integrated with the form and patterns
of adjacent building development, the detention
facility can blend into the community, providing
a secure and stabilizing ‘good neighbor’ in
distressed neighborhoods.”

environment, and serve as a source of food
production and locus of inmate gardening training
programs, if developed as roof gardens.
• Capturing grey water before release into the sanitary
systems emphasizes using water twice before
discarding. Water from roof drains, sinks, and

The experience developed in sustainable programs

other non-potable sources can be stored in tanks

at Rikers Island, NY (see highlight on page 19) is

and diverted to cooling towers, toilet flushing,

readily transferable to the urban jail. Gardening and

and irrigation.

urban farming programs have been viewed from
different perspectives: Therapeutic, as a low cost way
of introducing programs that induce better behavior,
both as a consequence of meaningful activity, and as
a privilege earned through consistent “good behavior;”
Productive, in creating valuable food crops that can
be consumed by inmates or donated to the needy;
and Educational, in creating a sense of environmental
awareness and developing horticultural and farming
skills. The ideal configuration of an urban farming

Photo provided by Horticultural Society of New York

program is one where the food waste stream is

12

composted to provide soil for gardens on the building

• Rain gardens, permeable paving and soft curbs

roof that help cool the building and store storm water,

are some of the measures that can be used to

while producing food, and training inmates for green

reduce run-off from site development and the

jobs once released. Gardening programs can be

impact of surges on treatment plants, particularly

directed by outside not-for-profit groups who help

in areas in older cities where the storm and

create access to jobs with low barriers to entry.

sanitary systems are combined.

Photo provided by Washington State Department of Correctons

Greening of Correctional Facilities

WASHINGTON STATE
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
The Sustainable Prisons Project

In 2002, then-Washington Governor Locke challenged all state agencies to meet new sustainability
standards. An Executive Order required each agency to set specific, long-term sustainability goals
to reduce waste, water, and energy consumption, and report progress on a biannual basis. The
Washington Department of Corrections (DOC), determined to exceed all expectations, launched
an ambitious effort, leveraging the power and creativity of partners to reduce its annual budget
and prepare inmates for the outside world. This coincided with the initiation of a partnership with
scientists from The Evergreen State College (TESC), a public liberal arts institution of higher learning
in Olympia, Washington, who enlisted the help of inmates to carry out sustainability practices and
conservation biology research on endangered species in the bioregion. Today, Washington’s DOC
has not only exceeded expectations, but has garnered national media attention and recognition for
its innovative and unique sustainability practices and programs.
	

13

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

with 2004 serving as a baseline. Each year, the DOC publishes a “Sustainability Progress
Report” highlighting six baseline areas which include: 1) Reduce dependence on nonrenewable energy and fuel source, 2) Reduce potable water use, 3) Reduce waste, 4)
Reduce use of toxic materials, 5) Increase the sustainability of facilities, and 6) Increase the
Department’s commitment to and employee awareness of sustainability. Each of Washington’s
15 correctional facilities reports out progress in the six areas, as well as any pilot programs
such as the Washington Correctional Center’s Solid Waste Reduction Pilot. The report has
sophisticated measurements; for example, energy consumption can be adjusted for weather
conditions such as a historically cold winter or summer heat wave.
	

Correctional facilities nationwide most likely have some of the information presented
in Washington’s annual Sustainability Report, such as the amount of energy consumed
annually. However, few correctional facilities present the information so that progress is easily
understood over time and facility managers can take practical steps to reduce waste, water,
and energy consumption. For example, Washington’s DOC breaks down energy consumption
in two ways, first, by offender and, second, by square foot. Over a several year period, the
DOC can see if it is being responsive to changing prison populations and building age and
maintenance. Washington’s report may serve as a template or planning tool for other states
to set goals and implement cost-effective sustainability programs. For more information, visit
the DOC’s website at 	. Beyond upgrading existing
buildings, the DOC has built 38 new buildings, all rated LEED Silver or Gold, including the
only Gold certified campus, Coyote Ridge Corrections Center.

Table 2: Total Facility Energy Use for FY03 through FY09 with all Energy
Sources Converted to KWH

Total Annual Energy Use

14

Fiscal Year

KWH

KWH per Offender

KWH per sq. ft.

FY03

387,371,962

1,809

4.08

FY04

389,677,690

1,822

4.01

FY05

394,988,544

1,788

4.00

FY06

387,518,794

1,814

3.82

FY07

403,319,934

1,868

4.02

FY08

420,632,554

1,934

4.07

FY09

410,990,709

1,891

3.85

Percent Change from FY03

6.1%

4.5%

-5.7%

Greening of Correctional Facilities

	

©Benjamin Drummond / bdsjs.com

The Washington DOC has also enhanced and supplemented its sustainability work through
partners. Six years ago, a Superintendent and Dr. Nalini Nadkarni, an ecology professor at TESC,
met by happenstance and created a vision to connect prisoners and prisons to nature and
science. The resulting partnership began at a small minimum security men’s prison (Cedar Creek
Corrections Center, CCCC) in a project they called the “Sustainable Prisons Project.” They focused
in three areas: 1) green-collar education and training, 2) sustainable operations of prisons, and
3) scientific research and conservation. Today, the Sustainable Prisons Project has expanded to
four more prisons, both men’s and women’s, ranging from maximum to minimum security. While
much of the project mirrors the work instigated by state mandates, the Sustainable Prisons
Project also inspires DOC staff at other facilities to enhance and create new sustainability projects.
	

	

	

15

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

©Benjamin Drummond / bdsjs.com

For example, at CCCC, organic vegetables planted and tended by inmates are served in the
dining hall. The gardens are situated so that offenders pass them regularly, reinforcing the
direct connections between humans and nature. At both CCCC and SCCC, inmates are part
of a pilot training program to become beekeepers. Inmates take classroom study and apply
knowledge about bee biology and behavior, hive construction and maintenance, beekeeping
equipment and commercial business practices to their work. Participants also work closely
with the project entomologist and beekeeper to design and conduct a research project with
publishable results. Dan Pacholke, of the Washington DOC, touts the therapeutic quality of
the connection to living beings that is gardening, a “sense of empathy,” he says, “you can’t
replicate through cognitive behavioral therapy.” Inmates also support an on-site composting
system with trace scraping to create a “closed loop” food system that reduced solid waste
at the facility by 50 percent.

The Sustainable Prisons Project’s second goal, to have an impact on sustainable operations,
has had substantial effects on the DOC’s bottom line. For example, a zero-waste garbage
sorting center at CCCC recoups commonly discarded objects such as silverware and clothing
for reuse. The Monroe Correctional Facility, inspired by the work of the Sustainable Prisons
Project, implemented its own waste reduction program and saves an estimated $45,000 a
year on trash can liners.
	

16

©Benjamin Drummond / bdsjs.com

Greening of Correctional Facilities

Spotted Frogs, a state endangered species, for release into the
wild. Inmates act as ecological research collaborators, responsible
for feeding and cleaning the frogs, as well as providing fungal
treatments, documenting water quality, specimen growth and
mortality, and installing and maintaining equipment. At SCCC,
inmates, working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy
and U.S. Army, are propagating 200,000 native plants and prairie
grasses for the Joint Base Ft. Lewis McChord military base, which
protects the largest remaining portions of the Puget Sound’s
prairie ecosystems. A new program to rear endangered butterflies
has begun at a women’s minimum security prison, in collaboration
with and funded by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The Sustainable Prisons Projects hopes
to continue building partnerships with other researchers and expand research opportunities for
inmates. Benefits of these projects go beyond the training inmates receive. Formal evaluation
reveals that inmates gain a sense of purpose and contribution to society; elevate their sense
of self-esteem; and carry out more and more positive social interactions with each other and
with prison staff, all of which are congruent with rehabilitation programs traditionally offered
in prisons.
	

To learn more about the Sustainable Prisons Project, go to www.sustainableprisons.org or contact
Dan Pacholke, Washington State Department of Corrections at djpacholke@DOC1.WA.GOV

17

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Aligning Sustainable Facilities with
Sustainable Justice Systems

that provides safe, humane environments with low
energy consumption and little pollution, and whose
residents produce useful products by means of
skills gained during their stay in the facility.

Sustainable planning and design principles apply at

	

scales of development from the urban/community
scale, to the building itself and to individuals using
the spaces within. Each of these components
affects the other. One cannot understand the
building without reference to the community that
it supports, or appreciate the building without
understanding the people that it is intended for.
Similarly, a LEED certified building that ignores
the sustainability of its relations to the community
forgoes holistic understanding of the importance of
sustainability. The traditional model of a detention/
correctional facility has treated energy, waste,
and other sustainable issues as low priorities
compared to the traditional priorities of security,
staff efficiency, and low operational cost. The end
of the era of low-cost energy, concerns about waste
and pollution, and widespread acceptance of direct
supervision operations housed in more “normative”
environments create the conditions for a new model
for facilities based on sustainable principles. The

“One cannot understand the building
without reference to the community that
it supports, or appreciate the building
without understanding the people that it
is intended for.”

emerging definition of a 21st century detention/
correctional facility is a high performance building

The basis of a sustainable approach to justice
facilities is that the future success of our society
is as much bound up in the fate of those left in
the wake of progress as those on its leading edge.
Facilities designed for the incarcerated should
be planned and designed with outcomes in mind.
While materials and treatments will differ from
mainstream buildings because of budget and
security, the same care for scale, humane materials,
healthy environment, and all of the metrics of

18

Photo provided by RicciGreene Associates

energy efficiency should apply in equal measure.

THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
OF NEW YORK:
Rikers Island GreenHouse Program and the GreenTeam
Transitional Employment program

Photo provided by Horticultural Society of New York

Greening of Correctional Facilities

The Horticultural Society of New York (HSNY) is a 109

of horticulture, simultaneously building self- esteem,

year old not-for-profit organization whose mission is

strengthening employment skills, and developing a

to expand New York City’s (NYC) greening efforts and

greater sense of ethics. Program participants also

to ensure that all New Yorkers enjoy the many benefits

receive therapeutic benefits: with guidance, they

provided by horticulture. The benefits include: the

confront and work on the issues that have negatively

beautification of home and garden to the community

impacted their lives, and are linked to homelessness,

and environmental enhancement of green space,

addiction, and health and nutrition problems. Participants

the nutrition of fresh vegetables of urban farms,

also work on the emotional issues impeding their

the therapeutic power of cultivating plants, and job

childcare and parenting abilities.

opportunities of green space maintenance and design.
	

GreenTeam
Started in 1997, HSNY’s GreenTeam is a unique
“jail-to-street” program that provides post-incarceration
transitional paid employment to graduates from the
GreenHouse program. GreenTeam not only provides
further training in horticulture, but also helps members
to develop life skills and job-readiness, and to find
full-time employment. GreenTeam members work on
projects throughout NYC, creating gardens and farms
primarily in collaboration with social service agencies
whose clients suffer from mental illness, drug abuse, and
other problems often associated with poverty.

Reduced Recidivism
Utilizing reconviction statistics on more than 500
program participants dating back over the course of
eight years provided by the New York State Division of

GreenHouse

Criminal Justice, a recent study showed that individuals

Started in 1989, the GreenHouse program affords the

who graduate successfully from the GreenHouse and

adult population from Rikers Island the opportunity to

GreenTeam programs have a much better chance

receive horticultural therapy and horticultural vocational

of successfully rejoining society. After one year, the

training. GreenHouse participants cultivate a three-acre

reconviction rate of GreenHouse and GreenTeam

farm and provide maintenance services for landscaped

graduates was 10 percent, compared to 21.5 percent of

areas around the correctional facility. Funded through

the general population of the formerly incarcerated in

private foundations and other grants secured by HSNY,

New York State, and within three years the rate was

participants receive 3 to 9 months of curriculum-

25 percent for graduates, compared to 47 percent of

based training to prepare them for work in the field

the general population.

19

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

20

Photograph provided by California Dept. of Correction and Rehabilitation

COMPLETING THE SUSTAINABLE
MODEL: PREPARING AND
TRAINING INMATES FOR THE
GREENING OF THE ECONOMY

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

T

ranslating a sustainable model for corrections into action steps that provide
access to viable training, job opportunities, and career pathways for individuals

in prisons and jails requires a broad understanding of the definition of the green
economy, the sectors it spans, and the effects associated activities and technologies
may have on occupational requirements and programs. From this understanding,
administrators can start to adapt existing training programs or identify potential
new green programs that provide the relevant skills, competencies, and credentials
to inmates and the right strategic partners that support a continuum of learning
opportunities during a transition to a greener economy.

Understanding Jobs in the Emerging
Green Economy
There is a strong and increasing commitment in the United States to growing a
clean energy and energy efficient economy, one that encourages public-private
investments and promotes policies to foster the development and growth of green
products, services, technologies, and jobs that will contribute to the US economic
engine and foster sustainable development. According to a Pew Charitable Trusts
Report, between 1998 and 2007, jobs and businesses in the clean economy grew
9.1 percent, compared to overall job growth of 3.7 percent.18 Currently, green jobs
constitute a small part of the national economy and predicted levels of job growth
range considerably from 16 million18 to only a slight expansion of the economy.
Despite the uncertainty of the predictions, green jobs will continue to be an

“The activities that make
up the green economy
span most key economic
sectors, which may
result in the production
or provision of green
goods or services
or making business
production processes
more environmentally
friendly.”

important economic and policy focal point, with continued federal investments
and the expected benefit of the “greening” of all sectors of the economy helping
to contribute to the long term sustainability of our nation.
	

	

	

21

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

or are currently in the process of “greening,” by
incorporating new green practices, inputs or products.

2. Green Enhanced Skills (ES):
“Green economic activities and technologies will have

Currently, the key sectors identified by O*NET include:19

a significant impact on these existing occupations,

• Renewable Energy Generation

changing both the work and worker requirements.

• Energy Efficiency

While the essential purpose of the occupation will
remain the same, the tasks, skills and worker knowledge

• Transportation

and credentials required for the position may change.

• Green Construction

It is unclear whether the changes will cause an increase

• Environmental Protection

in demand.”

• Agricultural and Forestry

Example: Biofuels plant construction workers, and green

• Manufacturing

building architects.

• Recycling and Waste Reduction
Equally important to understanding the green economy
through an economic lens is the comprehension
of how green economy activities and technologies
affect occupations and their skill and competency
requirements. It is helpful to move beyond simply
applying a generic “green” label to many jobs, and
instead more accurately describing it as the “greening
of occupations.” The greening of occupations lends
itself to three general categories that describe how
green economy activities and technologies impact
the skill sets, methods, and profiles of occupations in
all sectors of the economy. According to the O*NET
report, these categories include:

1. Green Increased Demand (ID):
“Green economic activities and technologies will
increase the employment demand for these positions
but will not reflect a significant change in the work
itself or the skills/education required to perform the
work. While the context of the work might be altered,
the tasks themselves will basically remain the same.”
Example: An increase in employment opportunities for
electrical power installers and repairers due to increased
electrical demand and infrastructure upgrades.

3. Green New and Emerging (N&E):
“Evolution of green economic activities and technologies
will create the need for unique work and worker
requirements, generating new occupations.”
Example: A Solar Photovoltaic panel installer and
technician, Energy Auditor, and Methane/Landfill Gas
Collection System Operators.
The DOL O*NET report estimates that many occupations
fit into the green enhanced skill occupations category,
which means that although there will be a growing
number of new and emerging occupations requiring
new knowledge, skills, and competencies, the majority
of jobs in the green economy will be transformed from
traditional occupations. From a correctional education
and training perspective, this means that much of
the traditional education and vocational training
offerings in prisons-- such as auto body repair and
mechanics, horticulture, basic construction including
electrical, carpentry, plumbing, and welding can be
retooled or updated to reflect green technologies and
practices. Indeed, according to the ASCA survey, over
one quarter (27.5 percent) of correctional systems were
adapting their existing vocational training programs to
accommodate green practices, while another third
(30 percent) were both adapting existing programs and
creating new green education and training programs.15

22

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

Promising Greener Employment Opportunities
As sectors become greener in the economy, the most promising employment
prospects for individuals with criminal records include construction and energy
efficiency, manufacturing, transportation, natural resources/environmental protection,
and renewable energy. Many of these industries have traditionally been more open
to hiring individuals with criminal records and are considered promising because
of their potential job growth, the range of jobs with lower education and training
requirements, potential earnings for a family sustaining wage and career pathway,
and fewer legal and other barriers to employment. These findings align well with
the ASCA survey, which revealed that states that are providing green education and
training programs in prisons are also targeting sectors that appear most promising
for individuals with criminal records (see Chart 1).15

Chart 1: Most Frequent Sectors Targeted for Green Correctional
Vocational Training Programs
16

“Employment in the
energy efficiency
services sector alone
is likely to increase
by a factor of two
to four, accounting
for approximately
1.2 million workers
by 2020.”

14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0

Renewable
energy
generation

Transportation
and alternative
fuels

Energy
efficiency-green
construction and
buildings

Manufacturing

Agriculture
and forestry

Environmental
protection

As policies change, investments in research and development increase, and the nation
recovers from the economic downturn, the greatest potential for job growth among
these sectors will most likely come from the renewable energy and energy efficiency
and green construction sectors. Employment in the energy efficiency services sector
alone is likely to increase by a factor of two to four, accounting for approximately
1.2 million workers by 2020,21 to meet the increasing demand for energy efficiency
products and services across the country (see DOE Map 1 on page 25). Sixty-five
percent of the jobs in the sector in the coming decade are expected to be with
building and construction contractors and trades and many of these jobs will
be built on existing occupations and skills such as HVAC technicians, electricians,
plumbers, lighting contractors, and construction laborers. Workers in this sector
will need to integrate new skill and competency requirements due to new materials,
technologies, and work processes.21
23

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Defining Green Jobs
Although there is not a clear consensus on a definition of a green job, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
has recently developed one for data collection purposes to understand the labor market impact of economic
activity related to protecting the environment and conserving natural resources. The definition is based on
both an output approach - which looks at businesses that produce green goods and services and counts
environmentally friendly production processes and practices and counts the associated jobs.18 BLS offers that
green jobs are either:
• Jobs in businesses that produce goods or provide

• Jobs in which workers’ duties involve making

services that benefit the environment or conserve

their establishment’s production processes more

natural resources, or

environmentally friendly or use fewer natural
resources.20

According to BLS, jobs in businesses that produce green goods and services are “those sold to customers
and include research and development, installation, and maintenance services,” while jobs in the other
category are those where workers research, develop, maintain, or use technologies and practices to lessen
the environmental impact of their establishment, or train the establishment’s workers or contractors in these
technologies and practices. Green goods and services and technologies and practices fall in the following
categories: energy from renewable sources, energy efficiency, pollution reduction and removal, greenhouse
gas reduction, recycling and reuse, natural resource conservation, environmental compliance, education and
training, and public awareness.

The construction/energy efficiency industry on the

According to the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS),

commercial side has always been more accessible to

there are a variety of energy efficiency professional

individuals with criminal records, although the jobs

development programs and exams offered by third

tend to be temporary, seasonal, and may be in areas

party and trade associations, including the Building

lacking adequate transportation, a problem for recently

Performance Institute (BPI), Residential Energy

released prisoners who may have a suspended driver’s

Services Network (RESNET), and the North American

license or lack access to a car. In addition, if a job is

Technician Excellence (NATE).22 One such certification

connected to a union apprenticeship, there may be

is BPI, which works with local training affiliates across

some barriers because basic requirements of union

the country to offer “certification, accreditation, and a

membership typically require a high school diploma

quality assurance program” for building performance

or GED. Pre-apprenticeship opportunities do not

technicians. Worker competencies are certified

have those same constraints and, when coupled with

according to training and experience and their ability

basic education and on-the-job training either at the

to pass both written and field exams. BPI offers training

correctional facility or in a reentry program, it may serve

and verifies workers skills for a range of areas including:

as a good on-ramp to apprenticeship.

building analyst, building envelope, manufactured
housing, heating and air conditioning, and several areas

24

Photo on the right above provided by the National Correctional Industries Association

the associated jobs and a process approach - and an input approach which identifies businesses that use

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

geared toward multifamily buildings such as energy efficiency, hydronic heating
design and heating plant technicians. It should be noted that some of the certification
tests may be difficult to pass for individuals with low reading or math skills and these
certifications do not take the place of trade training and on-the-job work experience.

DOE Map 1
Energy Efficiency

The renewable energy sector, which includes wind, solar, geothermal, and biomass,
has been the focus of much of the dialogue on green jobs, even though it currently
represents only a small percentage of overall jobs in the emerging green economy.

	
  

Growth in this sector will be largely due to rising energy prices, advances in
technology, and continued enactment of federal and state policies and financial
incentives. When developing renewable energy training programs it is important to
understand if these jobs currently exist in the labor market to ensure there will be
employment at reentry. In addition, unlike energy efficiency, some renewable energy
jobs may be more prominent in certain areas of the country than others, depending
on regional assets, another important reason to align training programs with labor
markets (see DOE Map 2 on page 26).
	

25

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

DOE Map 2

	
  
analyses in two key occupations, solar photo-voltaic (PV) system installers and solar
thermal installers, which created a professional certification program for journeymen,
contractors and foremen working in these occupations. NABCEP has also developed
an entry-level exam for PV systems targeted at workers interested in entering the solar
industry. These certifications, however, may be difficult to obtain if the person has low
reading or math skills and/or little work experience, as it recognizes the advanced
knowledge in the field. NABCEP certification may be something to work towards
on a career pathway once the academic and hands-on skills training is provided and,
hopefully, mastered while in prison.
	

	

26

	
  

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

smart grid technology. These jobs are stable, physically demanding, and pay well,
however, they may be challenging to access since utility companies may have a
ban on hiring individuals convicted of a felony, depending on state law. The jobs
for skilled technician positions, like many in high demand fields, require some
level of postsecondary education that may include pre-apprenticeships, technical
certificates, or associate degrees and bachelor degrees.25
	

	

	

27

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

middle, and low skill levels, the chart on page 29
highlights examples of specific jobs that are more likely
to be accessible and available in the labor market to
ex-offenders to get them on the pathway to a family
sustaining wage. This chart neither replaces the need
to understand region and local labor markets, which
can be accessed through working with economic
and workforce development agencies, nor addresses
the multiple challenges that formerly incarcerated

to the community and

Photo provided by Horticultural Society of New York

Although there are a range of green jobs at the high,

workplace, than do
stand alone “life skills”
classes. Helping prisoners
connect to causes
greater than themselves,
such as animal care
and environmental
preservation, may create
a consistent pattern of

individuals may face to be gainfully employed such
as discrimination.
	

violence reduction and
better behavior during incarceration, as seen by the
Washington State example (see highlight on page 13).
These experiences not only provide transferable job
skills, but may also allow for personal development and
growth opportunities that improve prisoners’ attitudes
and behaviors toward their communities and create
cultural change within the facility.
	

	

	

28

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

Table 1: Examples of Job Opportunities in the Green Economy28

Sector(s)

Occupation
Title

Most
significant
source of
education or
training

Highest
Educational
Attainment
for Majority
of Jobs

Entry
Level

Average
Annual

Wages

O*NET
Category

Projected
Growth
2008-2018

Projected
Job
Openings
2008-2018

Recycling and Waste
Reduction

Production
Workers

Moderate-term
on-the-job
training

HS or Less*

18,790

30,460

N&E

Little or No
Change

70,900

Green Construction /
Transportation

Industrial Truck
and Tractor
Operators

Short-term
on-the-job
training

HS or Less

21,800

31,910

ID

Slower than
Average

198,600

Transportation

Cargo and
Freight Agents

Moderate-term
on-the-job
training

Equal
distribution
between HS or
less and Some
College

22,200

37,060

N&E

Much
Faster than
Average

40,300

Green Construction

Electricians

Long-term
on-the-job
training

Almost equal
distribution
between HS or
Less and Some
College

27,970

45,980

ID

Average

250,900

Green Construction

Helpers—
Carpenters

Short-term
on-the-job
training

HS or Less

17,550

26,010

ID

Much
Faster than
Average

353,000

Green Construction /
Manufacturing

Welders,
Cutters,
Solderers and
Brazers

Postsecondary
certification

HS or Less

25,250

37,980

ID

Little to No
Change

126,300

Energy Efficiency /
Green Construction

Heating
and Air
Conditioning
Mechanics and
Installers

Postsecondary
certificate

HS or Less

24,750

39,320

ID/ES

Much
Faster than
Average

136,200

Renewable Energy
Generation

Installation,
maintenance,
and repair
workers

Moderate-term
on-the-job
training

HS or Less

19,830

32,180

N&E

Average

41,800

Energy Efficiency /
Environment Protection
/ Manufacturing /
Renewable Energy
Generation

Maintenance
and Repair
Workers,
General

Moderate-term
on-the-job
training

HS or Less

26,160

40,630

ES

Average

357,500

Research, Design, and
Consulting Services

Customer
Service

Moderate-term
on-the-job
training

Some College,
Including AA

22,120

32,180

ID

Faster than
Average

1,108,400

SOURCES: O*NET Online Green Economy Sector, available at http://online.onetcenter.org/find/green?n=0&g=Go;
Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2009 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, National 3-digit NAICS
Industry-Specific estimates, available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_dl.htm; Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Tables 1.1 through 1.11, available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_dl.htm; and Greening the World of Work,
available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_dl.htm.

29

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

noncredit certificates to associates degrees through

between community colleges and prisons laid out

a centralized or a decentralized partnership model.

several key elements to successfully providing

Community colleges can be an important entry

correctional education services to inmates. These

point for those inmates with no college education or

elements included an effective management structure,

even those lacking a high school diploma and are a

adequate funding, appropriate instruction, and practical

natural partner for prisons given their commitment

and creative strategies to address challenges such

to open access admission. Correctional facilities are

as low completion rates.33 In addition, representatives

encouraged to build partnerships or expand existing

from community college-prison partnerships identified

ones with community colleges, as many new innovative

in the report stated that other important factors

strategies have been created that may help inmates

for success included willingness to compromise, good

accelerate into postsecondary education with a

communication, trust, buy-in from all levels, shared

credential and job within any sector, including green

leadership, and a flexible framework33 – many of which

ones. These strategies include contextualization and

are critical to all strategic partnership endeavors.

integration of basic skills and English language into
the program’s workforce readiness and technical
skills training and shorter modules and accelerated
certificate programs that make it easier and more

Strategic Partnerships and
Resources

desirable for students to complete quickly and attach
to the labor market. Given the challenges of low

Strategic partnerships will be critical to the success

completion rates due to inmate transfer between

of developing and implementing green employment

prison and work assignments, lack of resources, and

and training programs in correctional facilities and

other factors, these types of models may have greater

partners should include employers, unions, education

success in putting inmates on a pathway to a good

and workforce development systems, community

job in the green economy.

colleges and universities, and community-based

Another reason why correctional facilities
should reach out to community colleges is that many

access to funding, equipment for training, instructors

are on the forefront of green workforce education and

and curriculum, and an understanding of the state

sustainability and correctional professionals may be

and local labor markets.

able to draw on their vast experience and expertise.

	

Colleges may be able to provide valuable information
to access resources on best practices and strategies,
link to courses, certificates and degree programs that
support industry, provide technical instructors and
innovative teaching methods and curricula, and offer
technical support in a variety of sectors. One resource
that highlights examples of green community college
workforce development programs is Going Green:
The Vital Role of Community Colleges in Building a
Sustainable Future and Green Workforce and can be
found at	.
	

30

organizations. These partners may be able to provide

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

National Weatherization
Training Portal
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has created The National Weatherization Training Portal (NWTP),
featuring multi-media, interactive, self-paced training modules. While this training portal will not replace
the need for formal, hands-on-training, it will enhance or augment the training conducted across the country.
The NWTP courses cover basic and advanced building sciences and weatherization through a flexible and
adaptive learning platform. Coursework can be customized to meet the needs of individuals seeking a
career in the fast-growing weatherization industry and of current professionals from energy auditors to field
technicians. By advancing through the self-paced NWTP curriculum, students prepare themselves to pursue
field training and various industry certifications. Courses address building science at all levels, from the role
of pressure diagnostics in ensuring safe indoor air quality to proper techniques for installing various costeffective, energy-saving measures. Courses provide an individualized learning experience that adapts to
the needs of each student. Training support can be tailored to weatherization workers at all skill levels and
positions, including crew member, crew chief, auditor, and trainer.
	

The NWTP learning management system provides the following:
• Web-based system that is easy to use for both students and trainers
• Adaptive learning system that tracks and tailors courses based on user progress
• Easy-to-access, online system that creates, stores, and maintains training curriculum
• Immersive, online training that is cost effective and allows content to be reused
and repurposed by developers and trainers.

For more information on the system or to learn more about collaborating with the U.S. Department of Energy
through open source, please contact: NWTP.Webmaster@EE.DOE.GOV

Developing partnerships with the workforce system

as will the results of labor market information activities

and local employers is an important strategy because

conducted by state and local workforce agencies for

it ensures that the training is relevant, meets the needs

the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) grants, awarded

of industry, and allows access to accurate local labor

under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

market information in the green economy. This is

Working closely with employers, including unions, in

particularly important as information on actual jobs in

the area will be an important way to understand their

the region and the skills and competencies required for

hiring needs and plans for growth and expansion to

jobs is still considered a work in progress. The new BLS

supplement labor market information, which is based

study on green jobs will be very helpful in the future

on projections.
31

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

A good national resource created by DOL is the green jobs community of practice,
which can be found at https://greenjobs.workforce3one.org/page/home. On this site,
organizations can access reports, promising practices, and other information that
may be useful to implementing green jobs training program.
	

	

Chart 2: Barriers to
Green Jobs Training

Institutional Barriers
A number of barriers may exist within correctional facilities when establishing or
adapting green training and vocational programs, especially ones that hope to
train inmates in new technologies and practices. According to the results of the
ASCA survey, one of the biggest barriers (see Chart 2) to implementing green
programming was the high cost of equipment, reported by over half (57.5 percent)
High cost of equipment
Resistance from
line staff
Resistance from
other staff
Resistance from inmates
Resistance based on
custody level
Lack of expertise
Other

of respondents. Another substantial challenge to greening correctional education
and training programs, reported by 32.5 percent of respondents, was that the
facilities’ staff lacked the expertise and training to implement these green programs
and practices. For correctional facilities that utilized partnerships to implement
such programming, it was difficult to find partners that could adapt their curriculum
to include green skills and competencies that were applicable to inmates. Another
third of respondents (32.5 percent) cited current budget constraints as a barrier
to incorporating green elements into their programs.15 Even with these barriers,
a majority of the respondents who reported that their facilities are not currently
adapting or creating green vocational education programs said they planned to
do so in the near future.

32

Photo provided by RicciGreene Associates

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

MISSOURI DEPARTMENT
OF CORRECTIONS
With a $200,000 American Recovery and Reinvestment

Customization is equally important in making these

Act (ARRA) grant from the federal government,

updated education and training programs work for

Missouri’s Department of Corrections set about updating

Missouri offenders. By working with special education

more than twenty career and technical education

instructors, the certified vocational instructors who

programs in institutions across the state with green

are bringing the new programs to inmates have been

curricula, equipment, and supplies. In Fiscal Year 2009,

able to meet the needs of diverse learners. Offenders

more than 1,500 offenders across Missouri enrolled in

are expected to demonstrate an eighth grade reading

“greened” programs including building trades, electrical

level and complete an application process before

wiring, plumbing, auto, and horticulture. With careful

joining the programs. To maximize the impact of federal

attention to facilities’ needs, Missouri has been able

dollars, grant money was used only to update existing

to implement new, greener programs in facilities at

programs and not to implement brand new programs

every security level, from Level 2 to Level 5. This

in the state’s facilities. The Department of Corrections

level of customization is crucial to the success of the

began implementing its green curricular enhancements

new education programs. “When bringing in a new

in February of 2009. Though the Department hasn’t yet

program,” explains Dana Keller, Career and Technical

seen “the full realization of what we’ve done,” according

Programs Coordinator with the Missouri Department

to Keller, grant funding has allowed a spate of activities

of Corrections, “you have to give institutions some say

in eight facilities for both male and female inmates

so in what’s coming into their facility.”

across the state.

33

Photo provided by National Correctional Industries Association

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

The Department has purchased off-the-shelf curricula

organic products. The Department intentionally chose

in areas including carpentry, business, and home

areas for enhancement that would not only teach

weatherization. Enrollees in the Professional Gardening

offenders to be green but also align with workforce

program at one female facility are trained on xeriscape

needs. Developing job trends, and the Department’s

landscaping, or working with drought resistant plants.

collaboration with the Missouri Department of Economic

With ARRA funding, the Department of Corrections also

Development’s Division of Workforce Development,

offers professional development to full time correctional

was one primary impetus behind the decision to

staff. Two staff members spent a week training with

implement green-enhanced education and training

the National Center for Construction Education and

programs. Graduates of the building trades program

Research (NCCER) and upon return were able to

can earn NCCER certification, a boon for many

“train the trainers” of the green-enhanced programs.

inmates who may have entered the program with little

Offenders enrolled in the programs are trained on new

productive work experience and few marketable skills.

and state of the art equipment, including windows,

Of holding a nationally recognized accreditation on

doors, and solar panels in the building weatherization

release, Keller says, “it’s huge.”

program. All of the equipment is purchased with an
eye towards being “to teach with, not just to have.” The
Department has plans to purchase and bring to each
institution an electric car for use in hands-on training.
But the new green bent to the Department’s education
and training program is visible in smaller ways too;
for example, the cosmetology program now uses only

34

To learn more about Missouri’s green education and training
programs, go to http://doc.mo.gov/ or contact Dana Keller,
Career and Technical Programs Coordinator, Missouri
Department of Corrections, at Dana.Keller@doc.mo.gov.

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

Environmental Literacy
As prisoners begin to train for jobs that require green
skills and competencies, correctional administrators

• student materials
and resources

should consider incorporating environmental literacy

• pricing

into their vocational and educational programming.

• ease of use for students

Environmental literacy helps provide individuals with

• potential to help an
incarcerated population
understand the green
economy and/or
green jobs

the knowledge, skills, and understanding needed to
think about environmental topics and concerns and

After careful review, each curriculum was assessed

includes the environment as an important consideration

for its value in helping the prison population understand

in daily life.

and identify employment opportunities in the green
economy, and each curriculum was recommended in

“Being environmentally literate requires basic
understanding of natural systems, biological
systems, and social systems and allows workers
that are preparing for jobs in the green economy
to understand the context in which they work.”

terms of relevance and adaptability for the incarcerated
population.
	

Currently, over a third of state correctional administrators
surveyed reported efforts to integrate environmental
literacy with green education and training programs.34
	

	

• literacy levels
• intent of the curriculum

• mode of instruction
(video, textbook)

• target population

• cost

• content relevancy to

• criteria and methods

target population
• instructional design
• training for instructors
(or lack of)
• support needed to teach
the curriculum

used to measure success
with target population,
accessibility, languages
offered
• ease of use for instructor
35

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies

loud to students at times. This curriculum is notable and

The Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies environmental

valuable for the target population because it focuses

literacy curriculum is designed to help students

on social and economic inequality in the United States

“understand the connections between water and air

and provides the target population with information

pollution through the concept of watersheds and

about the green economy and green jobs. Overall, this

airsheds, as well as understand the impacts of their

is an excellent resource for instructors to learn from, but

decisions on human health and biodiversity.” Its goal

it would need to be adapted for the prison population

is to help middle and high school students to become

because the literacy level is very high.

decision makers in a hypothetical town and county. The
curriculum uses lesson plans and various activities to
position students to think about how they would make
environmentally conscious decisions in a hypothetical

The Ella Baker Centers Green-Collar Jobs Campaign Teaching
Tools can be found at http://www.ellabakercenter.org under
“Resources” then “Teaching Tools.”

town. It is downloadable and easily available online by
the general public. The level of literacy needed for this
curriculum is moderate and appropriate for students in

Facing the Future

middle and high schools. Overall, this curriculum can

Facing the Future has produced a series of books

easily be adapted to the prison population and used

that can be purchased, but are also available in PDF

in the prison setting because of its group involvement,

format for those willing to spend time downloading

interactive nature and potential to involve students in

individual books and documents. The books are

the decision-making process.

designed as lesson plans for teachers. There are books
for elementary, middle, high school and post secondary
teachers and each is aligned with several state and

Additional information can be found at www.ecostudies.org

national education standards. The content ranges from
general discussion of global issues and sustainable
solutions to a more specific emphasis on climate

Ella Baker Center

change. The book Engaging Students through Global

This curriculum was “designed to begin a conversation

Issues is particularly relevant to the target population.

among young people (and interested adults) about

These lesson plans help teachers present difficult

the rapidly growing green economy, and how it

academic concepts to students in grade levels 5-12.

can be leveraged to solve two crises in our cities –

Engaging Students through Global Issues is designed

environmental degradation and rampant social

to “help students understand complex global issues

inequality.” The curriculum explores five key themes

and sustainable solutions, and offers creative tools for

surrounding the Ella Baker Center’s work-- the green

them to take action in their local and global community.”

economy, eco- equity, eco-privilege, model cities, and

Overall, this curriculum is notable because the content

restorative justice. The content is designed to provide

is relevant to our target population, is delivered in an

information about social justice and the economy.

interactive and very accessible manner, and focuses

Although designed for youth, the curriculum assumes

on economic and social inequality in both a global and

very high levels of knowledge about these five themes

local context.

on the part of both the instructor and the students. The
student activities require very high levels of literacy
in terms of reading, writing, critical thinking, and
comprehension. To be useful to youth and adults with
limited academic proficiency, the instructor would need
to work in very small groups and lead the students
through each exercise, including reading the text out
36

More information is available at www.facingthefuture.org

Completing the Sustainable Model: Preparing and Training Inmates for the Greening of the Economy

Green Steps School

this curriculum could inspire and support the target

Green Steps School is an environmental education

population to explore the natural world and use their

initiative and curriculum that encourages individual

region’s parks and open spaces upon reentry.

schools (in South Carolina) to take steps towards
becoming more environmentally responsible. This
curriculum is designed for school administrators who

More information is available at www.lnt.org

want to empower their students to conserve energy
and water, reduce waste, and save money through
environmentally-conscience purchasing and behavioral
change in their school. It is user friendly, designed for
a range of academic literacy levels, interactive, and
focused on putting programs in place to reduce energy
and water use in the schools. Overall, the curriculum
and program requires extensive buy in, support, and
financial resources of top administrators but it could
be adapted for a prison setting by instructors working
with the support of prison administrators.

Roots of Success
Roots of Success is designed specifically for youth
and young adults participating in a green job training
program. This curriculum is designed for people with
limited proficiency in English, math, science and/or
computer skills and, for this reason, is designed to
“teach environmental literacy while enhancing academic
literacy and job readiness skills. It is ideally suited
to support youth and adults being trained for jobs
and careers in the green economy.” The curriculum is
divided into six thematic modules, plus an introduction

More information is available at www.greenstepsschools.com

and conclusion – water, waste, transportation, energy,
building and food & agriculture. Each module can be
taught in four hours. This curriculum is only available

Leave No Trace

for purchase and requires instructors to be trained and

Leave No Trace is produced by the Center for Outdoor

certified. Once trained, it is easy to use. Instructors

Ethics. It is designed to increase awareness about the

can use as many or as few of the modules as desired.

importance of protecting parks and recreation areas

Instructors teach the curriculum using a scripted

from the problems stemming from heavy human

Instructors Manual and DVD that includes visuals and

use. It focuses on how to camp safely and responsibly,

videos. Each student receives a Student Workbook that

carefully pack garbage, and minimize the negative

includes all of the exercises and activities needed for the

impact on the outdoor environment. The curriculum

course. Overall, this curriculum is extremely useful for

focuses on being outdoors in nature and hiking. The

the target population especially because it is designed

exercises are designed to accompany a nine minute

to teach environmental literacy while enhancing

video on responsible outdoor behavior. The video is

academic literacy and job readiness, focuses on both

nature oriented, but with an urban population focus;

environmental and social issues, and focuses heavily on

visually it is dynamic and fast paced. Although the

helping students to identify and prepare for green jobs.

curriculum is designed to be used outdoors, some of

This curriculum is available in both English and Spanish.

the exercises can be adapted for indoor use by having
the students imagine that they are outdoors. Overall,
a couple of the imaginary exercises might be useful

More information is available at www.rootsofsuccess.org/qa

but it is not generally relevant to the lives of people
who are incarcerated. Some of the ideas and exercises
in this curriculum might be useful to get the prison
population thinking about the environment. At its best,

37

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

CORRECTIONAL
INDUSTRIES:
Creating Sustainable Products/Services
and a Green Workforce

38

Correctional Industries: Creating Sustainable Products/Services and a Green Workforce

C

orrectional Industries (CI), defined as the work programs in correctional facilities
that provide real world work experience to inmates, teaching them transferable job

skills and work ethic to help them prepare for post-release reentry and employment,35
are increasingly becoming part of the growing momentum for action on sustainability
and green workforce development. Across the country, many CI programs are involved
in sustainability efforts, ranging from creating core business strategies for sustainable
production processes and practices, developing new strategic partnerships, producing
and distributing environmentally-friendly products and services and preparing
prisoners for the most relevant skills for the emerging green economy.

The Green CI Landscape
To understand the current landscape of green CI, a survey of members of the National
Correctional Industries Association (NCIA) was conducted, yielding 25 responses
representing 19 states. In addition, two focus groups were conducted with 14 NCIA
members. The survey and focus groups sought to uncover information about: current
green prison industry work programs, green products, manufacturing processes
and services being created through environmentally sustainable practices, current
environmental literacy curricula and training, green skills and competencies acquired
through work experiences, future plans for greening prison industry programs, and
internal and external institutional barriers to the adoption of green CI programs.
	

Chart 3: Correctional Industries’ Motivations for Going Green
Saving money
Sate mandate
or regulations
Creating revenue
Demand from
customers
A desire to be
more eco-friendly
A desire to decrease
the recidivism rate
A desire to provide
inmates with new and
sustainable skills
Public relations

0

2

4

6

8
number

10

12

14

39

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Although CI programs

included: utilizing recycled materials in office systems

were motivated to go

manufacturing, refurbishing old office furniture, metal

green for a variety

fabrication, windmills, and playground equipment.

of reasons, green CI

Photo provided by National Correction
Industries Association

programs still involve

Product Certification

only a small proportion

Two-thirds of survey respondents reported either having

of inmates and revenue

products or programs certified by entities such as Green

generated. According

Seal or GREENGUARD or pursuing these certifications.

to the survey results,

Respondents indicated, however, that the variation

the average number of

in certification requirements is a source of confusion

inmates engaged in state prison industry programs was

for their prison industries and the costs of certification

approximately 1,800 inmates per state, with a majority

could be a barrier. One survey respondent stated:

reporting that the total number of inmates engaged in

“We offer products with components that are certified

their green programs represented 25 percent or fewer

by suppliers, e. g. 100 percent postconsumer fabric.

of inmates involved in CI. More than 70 percent of

‘Green certified’ is not a fixed standard, and there are

survey respondents reported that, as a percentage of

literally dozens of organizations offering certifications

the total revenue, only five percent or less was created

of different kinds. It all depends on the clients’ needs

by green industries. Less than a quarter indicated

what certification is desired.”

that their green programs generated between six and
10 percent of total revenue, and only one respondent

Internal and External Partnerships

stated that green industries generated between 16 and

Many focus group participants spoke of the importance

20 percent of prison industry revenue.

of partnerships with their vendors to their green
efforts. For many participants, the vendors facilitated

Green Strategies, Processes, and Products

the certification process for green products and

The largest prison industries programs, based on

played a key role for the prison industries in providing

both number of prisoners involved and the amount of

information about specific green industries. One focus

revenue generated, were: garments/textiles, furniture/

group participant spoke highly of his facility’s vendor

office systems, farming/agribusiness, license plates,

for solar panels, whose “knowledge of the industry

highway landscaping, and cleaning supplies/janitorial

was critical for us to understand how the whole supply

products. Examples of green prison industry programs

chain works.” Just under a third of survey respondents

included a bio-mass plant to produce sustainable

(28.6%) indicated having key strategic partnerships for

electricity, methane gas that was produced from

launching and sustaining their green industry efforts.

agricultural waste, and solar panel/PV installation and

40

production, landscaping and green roofs, shoreline

Skill Development

restoration, and developing a line of green cleaning

Focus group participants talked about the importance

products. Further, license plate production was

of preparing inmates for entry-level green jobs, but

mentioned as another example of how prison industries

few elaborated on the connection between their prison

deployed green strategies; new methods of production

industries and preparation for green jobs on the outside

that end the use of high VOC inks by using a dry ink

of prison. Several participants stated that the job

machine and an UVI cured ink, eliminating the need

skills gained in green industries are the same as those

for a dry off oven and reducing hazardous waste, and

gained in other industries, with the added benefit of

utilizing recycled aluminum from steel. Many survey

the development of an awareness of environmentally

respondents also stated that they were making their

sustainable processes. Only 10 percent of survey

production processes more environmentally friendly

respondents indicated that their green efforts were

or using fewer natural resources. These efforts

linked to the educational or vocational programming
in their facilities.15

Correctional Industries: Creating Sustainable Products/Services and a Green Workforce

UNICOR/Federal Prison Industries (FPI)
Correctional industries programs can play a significant
role in supporting green corrections. They support
their government agency customer base through a
Photo provided by UNICOR

supply chain focus on green purchases of goods and
services. Executive Orders 13423 and 13514 set goals
for the Federal Government in energy efficiency,
renewable energy, toxic reductions, and recycling. To
help Federal Government agencies meet these goals,
Federal Prison Industries (FPI) has adopted green
manufacturing processes in its various products sold
to the federal government.
	

Several FPI business group green efforts include:
• Many FPI Office Furniture Group (OFG) products
are not only fully compliant with the standards of
the U.S. Green Building Council’s GREENGUARD
Certification, but they also comply with the
Business and Institutional Furniture Manufacturer’s
Association low emitting furniture standards.
Fabrics used in OFG furniture comprise up to
100 percent recycled fiber content, and all foam
cushioning used in OFG seating is 100 percent
recyclable. All finishes and glues are water based
and environmentally safe.
• FPI provides a complete range of fleet
modernization programs to the Federal
Government. Through a reclamation and rebuilding
program, FPI saves customers up to 60 percent of
their procurement dollars, as compared to the cost
of buying new equipment.
• FPI’s Industrial Products Group (IPG) employs a
number of environmentally sound processes, such
as using only powder coated paint finishes. Along
with being non-toxic, excess powder coated paint
can be retrieved and used again. IPG also practices
environmentally sound processes to produce decals
and screen printed emblems, and uses inks that are
chemically inert.
• In the FPI Services Business Group (SBG), inmates
working in FPI’s data program convert tens of

thousands of pages of documents to electronic
format each day, providing government agencies
a cost effective and environmentally sound way to
capture and retrieve valuable data. SBG print shops
use only environmentally safe inks. Last year, SBG
printing and bindery operations returned over 650
tons of waste to the paper market for the production
of new products.
• FPI’s Recycling Business Group processes millions
of pounds of obsolete and excess computers
and electronic equipment annually from both
the public and private sectors. This action saves
precious landfill space, energy, and resources, by
reusing residual materials in lieu of mining virgin
commodities. If an item cannot be re-used, it is
broken down into recyclable component parts.
• Recently, FPI began manufacturing operations to
provide solar panels to the Federal government.
Providing this technology to federal agencies will
enable them to become more environmentally
sound and energy efficient to meet their goals.
• FPI has embraced the importance of “Greening”
as an organizational goal as well. FPI’s FY 2011
Strategic Plan includes the following objective:
Promote environmental and occupational health
stewardship by operating the corporation in a
compliant, environmental friendly and sustainable
manner.
• One strategy to meet this objective is for FPI to
emphasize current efforts and increase focus
on “green” products, product sustainablity,
and recycled content. However, FPI will not just
promote greening through its products. Inmates
who learn how to care for the environment by
working in FPI will take that knowledge with them
when they return to society.

41

Photo from the Wisconsin Department of Corrections website

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

WISCONSIN BUREAU OF
CORRECTIONAL ENTERPRISES
Wisconsin’s Bureau of Correctional Enterprises (BCE) offers vocational training and work skills development to
inmates in the state’s correctional facilities. Three Wisconsin facilities have produced seating and systems furniture
that meet standards for GREENGUARD indoor quality certification. The GREENGUARD certification is a complex
process requiring that component parts, supplied by an outside manufacturer, meet standards of sustainable
practice. BCE’s investment in the licensing fee and painstaking inspections process for GREENGUARD certification
has paid off with the Bureau’s primary customer base. End consumers of these Correctional Enterprises products
can use their GREENGUARD-certified furniture in pursuit of LEED certification for the building overall. In fact,
the University of Wisconsin, BCE’s primary consumer, has mandated that all furniture purchased by the university
system be GREENGUARD-certified by 2010.
	

To learn more about Wisconsin’s initiatives to green Correctional Enterprises, see http://www.buybsi.com or
contact Robert Smith, Wisconsin Badger State Enterprises Furniture Superintendent, at Robert.Smith@Wisconsin.gov

42

Correctional Industries: Creating Sustainable Products/Services and a Green Workforce

Barriers to “Going Green”
There were multiple barriers identified by CI programs for going green (see chart 4),
according to survey and focus group participants. These barriers included high
costs of certifications of green products and the high price of finished green
products. Similarly to the results of the ASCA survey, CI respondents stated that
lack of expertise and high costs of equipment are barriers to the development
and implementation of green industries in their facilities. Despite the barriers, over
three-fourths of survey respondents (76.2 percent) and a majority of focus group
participants indicated that they were interested in pursuing strategies that would
result in green manufacturing processes and products.

“…CI respondents
stated that lack of
expertise and high
costs of equipment
are barriers to the
development and
implementation
of green industries
in their facilities.”

	

	

Chart 4: Barriers to Going Green
High cost of equipment
High cost of
certifications
Resistance from
line staff
Resistance from
other staff
Resistance from
inmates
Lack of expertise

0

2

4

6

8
number

10

12

14

43

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

GREEN REENTRY
PROGRAMS

44

Green Reentry Programs

E

ach year, approximately 700,000 people are

across the country are beginning to look at the

released from state and federal prisons, returning

potential of the green economy to understand how it

to communities across the nation.

36

An even greater

relates to individuals who have low levels of education,

number re-enter society from local jails, an event that,

limited work experience and vocational skills, and

for some individuals, may occur multiple times in one

face a general reluctance by employers to hire people

year.36 Most people released from correctional facilities

with convictions. Many programs are reconfiguring

face multiple barriers to successful reentry including

their programs to integrate new green skills and

employment, substance abuse, housing, mental health

competencies or creating new programs driven by

and health related issues. Successful reentry requires

an increased demand for green goods and services

strong community support networks and comprehensive

in the marketplace. Formerly incarcerated individuals

services, particularly because the level of services needed

are gaining skills and being trained for a range

cannot be provided through prison or jail terms due to

of jobs including recycling, brownfields remediation,

resource constraints and other issues.

landscaping, energy efficiency retrofitting, and

Finding and maintaining a job is a critical
dimension for successful reentry and many programs

deconstruction to stem the high rates of recividism.
Three such programs are highlighted.

Chicago, IL
The Safer Foundation (Safer) works to reduce recidivism in
communities in Illinois and Iowa. Combining job training and
preparation, education, and support services, such as housing
and substance abuse treatment, Safer boasts a recidivism rate
of just 13 percent for clients, compared to 52 percent for the state

Photo provided by Safer Founda
tion

Safer Foundation

of Illinois. Job training and preparation are critical elements to Safer’s strategy and green jobs training
is becoming increasingly important part of their programming. Safer has developed two programs to
prepare individuals for green jobs: Deconstruction Work Services and Urban Landscaping.
Deconstruction Work Services spins standard construction training and work on its head. Safer clients
learn how to take apart a building, rather than construct or renovate a building. Deconstruction is the
“controlled demolition of condemned buildings” and is becoming increasingly popular as people see
the financial and environmental benefits of reusing building materials. For Safer, The ReUse Institute
provides basic deconstruction training to clients. Other partner organizations provide hazardous
waste and OSHA training, a standard requirement for entry-level construction jobs. Clients then
practice their newly acquired deconstruction skills on real buildings. The Delta Institute, a partner
organization, operates a store selling the reused building materials. Clients work in the store and learn
about retail operations and customer service, increasing their marketability when job searching and
interviewing. Through these trainings and on-the-job experiences clients are ready for construction
jobs, which are traditionally accessible to people with criminal records.
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The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Safer, in partnership with the Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance (GPCA) and Christy Weber
Landscapes (CWL), also operates an Urban Landscaping Project. Funded through the City of
Chicago’s Department of Environment, the initiative allows Safer clients to landscape and enhance
vacant parcels and establish community and indoor agricultural gardens in their own neighborhoods.
Clients working on this project are part of the Safer Return demonstration project and become
invested in their own neighborhoods for successful reentry. Projects directly align with the goals
of the Chicago Climate Action Plan and two green industry areas—Sustainable Landscaping/Local
Agriculture and Community Horticulture. Over time, Safer believes clients will become reinvested
in their communities and prepared for green jobs.

Civic Works
Baltimore, MD
Founded in 1993 and located in Baltimore, Maryland, Civic Works functions as the city’s urban service
corps and AmeriCorps program. In 2001, Civic Works began their Green Career Pathways project,
including the B’More Green Brownfields mitigation program, EnergyReady cool roof and energy
efficiency program, and the newest B’More Green Energy Efficiency Retrofit program. The B’More
Green Brownfields job training program connects unemployed, underemployed and previously
incarcerated Baltimore residents with jobs created as a result of brownfields redevelopment and
environmental clean-up projects. Trainees receive 7 industry recognized environmental health and
safety certifications. Since 2003, the program has graduated 16 classes.
EnergyReady, launched at the end of 2008, is a full-service home performance social enterprise
that builds upon Civic Works’ extensive experience in residential construction and sustainability.
EnergyReady has a 3-year, $1.4 million weatherization contract with the City of Baltimore, performing
energy efficiency retrofits in low-income communities with grants from Community Development
Block Grant (CDBG) and the Maryland Energy Administration. EnergyReady also competes for home
performance contracts in the private market.
In 2010, Civic Works started the B’More Green Energy
Efficiency Retrofit Program, an energy retrofit crew
comprised of trainees. Trainees will complete one
month of classroom training, including the DOE
Weatherization Worker certification, the OSHA 10-hour
Construction Safety Certification, and the EPA Lead
Renovator certification. The classroom training will

46

Green Reentry Programs

also include basic job readiness training and extensive hands-on training in a DOE approved work
simulation lab. After completing the training, participants will receive two months of paid on-the-job
training while working on real contracts with the EnergyReady social enterprise.

Vermont Works for Women
Winooski, VT
Vermont Works for Women (VWW) works to address the needs of
economically vulnerable women and girls living in Vermont to earn
a livable wage and to succeed in employment, including women

Photo provided by Vermont Works for Women

incarcerated in Vermont’s women’s correctional facility. VWW
programs enroll over 900 women and girls a year, most of whom, if
not incarcerated at the time of enrollment, have previously been so.
VWW offers support services through several programs: mentoring,
job training while incarcerated, pre-release employment support,
post-release transitional jobs, social venture on-the-job training, and,
currently in development, a transitional housing unit. VWW’s green
jobs training program includes the Modular Home Building Program,
an in-prison program with a green building curriculum, where
incarcerated women build Energy Star modular homes inside of
Vermont’s Women’s Correctional Facility. The program offers year-round job training for participants
in finish and frame carpentry, electrical wiring, plumbing, weatherization and roofing. Through the
process of building modular homes, women receive skill-based training in green carpentry that
is transferable to the workplace outside of prison. The program has seen promising success: of
participants released from prison and eligible to work, 75 percent found employment and 76 percent
were able to retain that work. The program as a whole boasts a 19 percent recidivism rate (compared
with 51 percent for the general female incarcerated population.)
In October 2009, in partnership with a private sector manufacturer and contractor, VWW launched
a solar tracker installation and weatherization social venture called FRESH, that employs people with
criminal histories in transitional jobs. The program provides year-round training in these emerging
green fields, while offering the social service support needed for successful re-entry into society and,
ultimately, the unsubsidized workforce.

47

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
GREENING PRISONS AND JAILS
The development and implementation of a comprehensive sustainability
strategy for correctional facilities may seem like a daunting task at first, but
the path to sustainability is not only technically feasible, but can also save the
institution substantial amounts of money, contribute to society and, at the
same time, prepare and train prisoners with relevant skills and competencies
in the emerging green economy. To that end, the following are a set of
recommendations based on the experiences and suggestions from early
adopters and innovators in the field.

RECOMMENDATION 1: Create a Sustainability Work Group
Create a local multi-disciplinary sustainability team. Include plant maintenance, budget,
vocational and education programming, and unit and custody staff.
Charge the team with developing strategies to manage performance expectations and look for
ways to incorporate sustainability into budget reduction strategies and offender training and
employment programs.
Find people with passion around the issues of the environment and environmental stewardship.
Collaboratively develop a green strategic plan or green paper that is agency specific.

RECOMMENDATION 2: Hold a Retreat for Your Executive Team
Provide participants an overview of sustainable practices in prisons.
Ask for their ideas and opinions to get buy-in.
Involve local experts and possible strategic partners where they exist.
Clearly lay out the rationale for embarking on these practices and develop a smart business
strategy that assists in reducing costs, employing offenders, and engaging community partners.

48

Recommendations for Greening Prisons and Jails

Implement Budget Savings Strategies
& Offender Employment Opportunities
RECOMMENDATION 3:

Mine your waste: Recycling, garbage sorting centers, and composting will reduce operating
costs and employ offenders. Dumpster dive and discover what you purchase that you simply
throw away.
Support Local Partnerships: Restore used bicycles for community organizations, grow starter
plants for Kiwanis clubs, start gardens to both off-set food costs and provide produce to local
food shelters.
Implement Transportation Demand Management: Reduce fleet size, use electric, hybrid,
or flex-fuel vehicles, switch to biofuels, buy locally, and promote carpooling between staff
members.
Cell Dog Programs: Partner with local dog shelters. This initiative will reduce violence in
prisons while also teaching skills like empathy, compassion, responsibility, and saving animals.
Look for Scientific Projects: Partner with local liberal arts colleges and/or
military bases. Many military bases are beginning to restore biodiversity within their
compounds.
Utilize Local and Regional Expertise and Resources: Partner with organizations such as
community colleges, employers, and the public workforce system for green training - their
expertise may bring you access to resources such as best practices, technical support,
curricula, and other important information and services.
Work With Anything Alive: bee hives, vermicomposting, dogs, cats, etc.; it builds character,
morale, and empathy for prisoners and provides opportunities for personal development.
Offender e-mail: Use email instead of regular mail – it improves staff safety, reduces workload
and reduces the amount of paper used and in cells.

RECOMMENDATION 4: Performance Management: Inspect

What You Expect
Establish a performance management system within your facility or agency. There are many
systems out there in use in different jurisdictions, so simply pick a model.
Once a system is adopted, establish baseline data in sustainable categories such as energy
(gasoline, diesel, electric, natural gas), solid waste, recycling, water use, gardening and other
innovation programs.
Publish the data on a monthly or quarterly basis and require program managers or wardens
to respond on how they are trying to meet performance targets.
Consistent use of the targets over time will change behavior; it is a powerful tool.
49

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

CONCLUSION:

50

Photo by Mikiko Kikuyama

The Sustainable Correctional/Detention
Facility of the Future

Conclusion: The Sustainable Correctional/Detention Facility of the Future

A

s executives and staff in the corrections field plan to create more efficient,
resilient, and sustainable correctional/detention facilities, it may be useful to

begin with a vision of the sustainable jail or prison of the future. The jail or prison
of the future would most likely look quite different from each other, both literally
	

	

Photo provided by Washington State Department of Corrections

and figuratively, with certain common transformational elements and commitments.

	

	

51

The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

education and training activities like gardening and

individuals at once vulnerable and dangerous makes

recycling, construction, and manufacturing. Classes

a holistic approach so important.

focused on GED or basic skills training can integrate
environmental concepts as they provide contextualized

A green jail/prison of the future could take the

learning to inmates.

following integrated approach:

	

The Direct Supervision environment within the facility
is calm and secure, with staff and detainees/inmates
safe from threat of harm, in spaces that are quiet, clean,
full of daylight, and with ample access to meaningful

“Personal responsibility is necessary to reduce
consumption of water and other waste—an
important lesson for inmates to apply once they
leave the prison system.”

activities. Services (counseling, meals, recreation,
visiting, medical, programs) occur directly adjacent to
the housing unit, so staff escort is only required when
detainees/inmates leave the facility. The introduction
of daylight into all occupied spaces, often with views
to nature, is key to saving lighting costs, creating a

The notion of linking green or sustainable activities

humane environment that can reduce aggressiveness

to the operational program of these secure facilities

for both staff and detainee/inmate, and, when properly

has great resonance with traditions of farming, craft

planned, providing passive heating in winter.

activities, and the like that were abandoned in many

	

cases during the period of great growth in prison
populations at the end of the 20th century.
	

	

52

Photo provided by National Correctional Industries Association

Conclusion: The Sustainable Correctional/Detention Facility of the Future

experience. These work experiences will be taught in

crime” naysayers, great strides have been made in

conjunction with environmental literacy so prisoners

evidence-based techniques to intervene and produce

can understand the context in which they work and

positive outcomes. The green principles of zero waste,

connect to a cause greater than themselves.

renewal, and recycling and the practices of sustainable

The notion of greening corrections is holistic and

hands-on work experience and green education and

inclusive of traditional building oriented sustainable

training programs are completely in sync with these

techniques as well as embracing the social dimension.

traditions. The facilities now in development have

The goal of “correction” of deviant behavior is at

the opportunity to demonstrate that the jail/prison

the foundation of our justice system since its inception

can contribute to the health and sustainability of the

in the 19th century, and in spite of the “tough on

communities and the people they serve.

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The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Appendix A: List of Resources
National Green Organizations
American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE)
This national organization provides economic data, research findings, and policy recommendations
on energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate change, and environmental issues.
www.aceee.org

American Public Power Association (APPA)
APPA offers a summary of Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs), a financing mechanism
available through the Internal Revenue Service for public-sector renewable energy installations.
www.appanet.org/files/PDFs/CREB.pdf

American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
The American Wind Energy Association is a trade and advocacy organization that represents the
U.S. wind energy industry and individuals who support clean energy.
www.awea.org

Apollo Alliance
The Apollo Alliance is a coalition of business, labor, environmental, and community leaders working
to catalyze a clean energy revolution in America to reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil,
cut the carbon emissions that are destabilizing our climate, and expand opportunities for American
businesses and workers.
www.apolloalliance.org

Blue Green Alliance
Launched in 2006, the Blue Green Alliance is a strategic initiative led by the United Steelworkers
and partners. The alliance focuses on three key issues: global warming and clean energy; fair trade;
and reducing toxics.
www.bluegreenalliance.org

Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS)
COWS is a national policy center and field laboratory for high-road economic development—a
competitive market economy of shared prosperity, environmental sustainability, and capable
democratic government.
www.cows.org

The Corps Network
The Corps Network is the voice of the nation’s 136 Service and Conservation Corps. Currently
operating in 42 states and District of Columbia, the Corps annual enrolls more than 26,000 young
men and women in service. Service and Conservation Corps provide a wealth of conservation,
infrastructure improvement, and human service projects.
www.corpsnetwork.org
54

Appendices

Database of State Incentives for Renewables and Efficiency (DSIRE)
DSIRE provides comprehensive information on renewable energy and energy-efficiency incentives
available through federal, state and local government, and public utilities.
www.dsireusa.org

Green Buildings Online LLC
Green Building is an education and training organization preparing individuals and organizations
for LEED Certification, and provides expert advice about training, green products and topics
related to commercial green buildings.
www.green-buildings.com

Green for All
Green for All is a national organization dedicated to building an inclusive green economy
strong enough to lift people out of poverty. Green for All advocates for local, state, and federal
commitment to jobs creation, job training, and entrepreneurial opportunities in the emerging
green economy—especially for people from disadvantaged communities – to fight both poverty
and pollution.
www.greenforall.org

GreenPrisons.org
GreenPrisons.org is the online source for what’s happening in environmentally responsible,
corrections-related, programs and services. GreenPrisons invites agency administrators to share
their green projects with the rest of the profession so that we can all learn from your successes
as well as some of your challenges
www.greenprisons.org

Interstate Renewable Energy Council (REC)
IREC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding the adoption and use of renewable energy
sources and technologies. Its workforce development initiates include efforts to create competency
and certification standards for renewable energy professionals and training programs.
www.irecusa.org

North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP)
The North American Board of Certified Energy Practitioners (NABCEP provides photovoltaic
and solar thermal installation certification. Designed to raise industry standards and promote
consumer confidence, NABCEP offers certification and certificate programs to renewable energy
professionals throughout North America.
www.nabcep.org

Partnership for Environmental Technology Education (PETE)
PETE’s mission is to provide leadership in environmental technology training and education at
community and technical colleges. It offers model curricula and other instructional resources.
www.ateec.org/pete

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The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Pew Center on Global Climate Change
The Pew Center on Global Climate change brings together business leaders, policymakers,
scientists, and other experts to ring a new approach to a complex and often controversial issue.
Pew’s approach is based on sound science, straight talk, and a belief that we can work together
to protect the climate while sustaining economic growth.
www.pewclimate.org

Sustainability Education and Economic Development (SEED) Center
The SEED Center is a leadership initiative and resource center created by the American Association
of Community Colleges and ecoAmerica that will provide strategic guidance and detailed resources
for community colleges to dramatically ramp-up their programs to educate America’s 21st century
workforce.
http://www.theseedcenter.org

U.S. Green Building Council
The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) is a nonprofit community of leaders working to make
green buildings available to everyone within a generation. The USGBC developed and houses the
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification programs.
www.usgbc.org

56

Appendices

Government Resources
U.S. Department of Education
The 2009 report from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Vocational and Adult Education
(OVAE) identifies partnerships between community colleges and prisons and identifies the
partnership process and effective practices.
http://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/pi/AdultEd/prison-cc-partnerships_2009.pdf

U.S. Department of Energy
The Department of Energy has numerous programs and resources that can be helpful in the
greening of corrections. Some of these include:
Commercial Building Energy Consumption Survey
The Commercial Buildings Energy Consumption Survey, operated by the U.S. Energy Information
Administration, is a national sample survey that collects information on the stock of U.S.
commercial buildings, their energy-related building characteristics, and their energy consumption
and expenditures.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/
National Renewable Energy Laboratory
The National Renewable Energy Laboratory is the only federal laboratory dedicated to the
research, development, commercialization and deployment of renewable energy and energy
efficiency technologies.
www.nrel.gov
National Weatherization Training Portal
The National Weatherization Training Portal, housed in the Department of Energy, features
multi-media, interactive, self-paced training modules. While this training portal will not replace
the need for formal, hands-on-training, it will enhance or augment the training conducted
across the country.
https://trainingportal.ee.doe.gov
Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE)
EERE sponsors various initiatives to build awareness about energy efficiency and renewable
energy topics and to coordinate efforts toward specific goals.
www.eere.energy.gov

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
ENERGY STAR is a join program of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S.
Department of Energy helping us all save money and protect the environment through energy
efficient products and practices.
www.energystar.gov

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The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

U.S. Department of Justice
The National Institute of Corrections, under the Bureau of Prisons in the U.S. Department of Justice,
provides training, technical assistance, information services, and policy/program development
assistance to federal, state, and local corrections agencies.
www.nicic.gov

U.S Department of Labor
The Department of Labor provides resources that can help correctional facility staff assess the
labor market and develop appropriate job training programs. Some of these resources include:
Bureau of Labor Statistics
The Bureau of Labor Statistics has recently developed and implemented the collection of new
data on green jobs with the goals of developing information on 1) the number of and trend over
time in green jobs, 2) the industrial, occupational, and geographic distribution of the jobs, and
3) the wages of workers in these jobs.
www.bls.gov/green
Employment and Training Administration
The Employment and Training Administration administers federal government job training and
worker dislocation programs, federal grants to states for public employment service programs ,
and unemployment insurance benefits.
www.doleta.gov
Green Jobs: Building Pathways for a Green Workforce
The Green Jobs website is a community of practice developed by the Department of Labor and
serves as a platform for workforce professionals and green job thought leaders to discuss and
share promising practices to create partnerships for Green Job Workforce Solutions.
https://greenjobs.workforce3one.org/page/home
O*NET OnLine
O*Net OnLine, operated by the U.S. Department of Labor, has detailed descriptions of the
world of work for use by job seekers, workforce development and HR professionals, students,
and researchers.
www.online.onetcenter.org

General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) uses expertise to provide innovative solutions for
customers in support of their missions and by so doing foster an effective, sustainable, and
transparent government for the American people. GSA provides a variety of procurement solutions
for federal agencies.
www.gsa.gov

58

Appendices

Appendix B: The Current Landscape of Green Corrections
John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Prisoner Reentry Institute assessed and analyzed the current
landscape of environmental awareness and green education training programs in the correctional
field through surveys, focus groups, and in-depth interviews. The members of the Association of
State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) and the National Correctional Industries Association
(NCIA) were asked to participate in electronic surveys and a convenience sample of NCIA members
participated in two focus groups during the organization’s annual meeting.
Green Educational And Vocational Training Programs: A Survey Of ASCA Members responding
to ASCA Survey
The survey of members of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) yielded
49 responses representing 34 states. The survey was designed to identify existing and/or new
green educational and vocational training opportunities in correctional settings, as well as to
develop an understanding of the ways in which environmental literacy is integrated into existing
curricula. Survey respondents were also asked about the availability of certificate or credentialing
opportunities for green-related skills in their facilities, and any existing partnerships utilized to
facilitate these programs. Survey questions also sought to uncover both the motivations for
integrating green practices into correctional education and training programs, and the internal
and external barriers to doing so, as perceived by the administrators.
States responding to ASCA Survey:
Alabama
Kansas
North Dakota
Alaska
Kentucky
Ohio

Arizona
Louisiana
Oklahoma
California
Maryland
Pennsylvania

Colorado
Minnesota
Rhode Island
Connecticut
Missouri
Tennessee

Delaware
Montana
Texas
Florida
Nebraska
Virginia

Georgia
Nevada
Washington
Idaho
New Jersey
Wisconsin

Indiana
New Mexico
Wyoming
New York

Green Prison Industries: A survey of and focus groups of NCIA
The survey of members of the National Correctional Industries Association (NCIA) yielded 35
responses representing 19 states. Additionally, two focus groups were conducted with a total of 14
NCIA members at their annual conference. Focus group participants represented states including:
Alabama, Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Virginia. The survey and focus groups sought to uncover
information about: current green prison industry work programs; green products, manufacturing
processes, and services being created through environmentally sustainable practices; current
environmental literacy curricula and training; green skills and competencies acquired through
work experiences; future plans for greening prison industry programs; and internal and external
institutional barriers to the adoption of green industry programs.
States responding to NCIA Survey:
Arkansas
Nevada
Arizona
New Mexico

Colorado
Ohio
Connecticut
Oklahoma

Florida
Rhode Island
Hawaii
Texas

Indiana
Virginia
Maine
Washington DC

Mississippi
Wisconsin
North Carolina

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The Greening of Corrections: Creating a Sustainable System

Endnotes
1.

Spreckley, Freer. (1980) Social Audit - A Management Tool for Co-operative Working.

2.

Elkington, John. (1998) Cannibals with Forks: The Triple Bottom Line of 21st Century Business
(The Conscientious Commerce Series) Stony Creek, CT: New Society Publishers.

3.

Green Buildings. (2008) LEED vs. Energy Star. Available at http://www.green-buildings.com/content/78308leed-vs-energy-star

4.

U.S. Green Building Council. (2010). What is LEED?, available at http://www.usgbc.org/DisplayPage.
aspx?CMSPageID=222

5.

U.S. Green Building Council. (2009) LEED Reference Guide for Green Building and Design.

6.

National Governors Association. (2010) Lead By Example: Building Efficiency, available at http://www.nga.
org/Files/pdf/1008CLEANENERGYLBEBUILDING.PDF

7.

FPL Energy Services. (July 2010) Case Study: Florida Department of Corrections Saves $900,000, available
at http://yestoamendment4.com/downloads/FPLES_FL_DOC_Case_Study.pdf

8.

South Carolina Department of Corrections. (2010) Agency Accountability Report: Fiscal Year 2008-2009,
available at http://www.doc.sc.gov/research/SCDCAccountabilityReportFY2009.pdf

9.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (July 2003) Energy Star—The Power to Protection the Environment
Through Energy Efficiency, available at http://www.energystar.gov/ia/partners/downloads/energy_star_
report_aug_2003.pdf.

10. U.S. Energy Information Administration. (2007) Independent Statistics and Analysis. Commercial Buildings
Energy Consumption Survey, available at http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cbecs/
11.

LEED User. (2010) EBOM 2009 EAp2: Minimum Energy Efficiency Performance available at http://www.
leeduser.com/credit/EBOM-2009/EAp2

12.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (October 2009) Bridgewater, Mass. Correctional Facility Earns Energy
Star Award for Significant Energy Savings, available at http://yosemite.eda.gov/opa/admpress.nsf/0/137f0d0
6d4f13e5c852576470058a847?OpenDocument

13.

Venneste, Julie. Washington Department of Corrections. (2010) Washington Department of Corrections
2009 Sustainability Progress Report, available at http://www.doc.wa.gov/goals/sustainability/
docs/2009SustainabilityReport.pdf.

14. California Department of Corrections. (May 28, 2008) Ironwood State Prison Activates Zero-Emission Solar
Power System, available at www.cdcr.ca.gov/News/2008_Press_Releases/May-2008.html

60

15.

Mukamal, Debbie. (April 2010) Survey of Association of State Correctional Administrators and National
Correctional Industries Association.

16.

Wener, Richard, and Hannah Carmalt. (2006) Technology in Society 28 Environmental psychology and
sustainability in high-rise structures. 157-167. P 163

17.

Ulrich R. (1993) Biophilia, biophobia, and natural landscapes. In: Kellert S, Wilson EO, editors. The biophilia
hypothesis. Washington, DC: Island Press. p. 138–72.

18.

Urahn, Susan, Reichert, Joshua, et al. (2009) Clean Energy Economy: Repowering Jobs, Businesses and
Investments Across America. Pew Charitable Trusts, available at http://www.pewcenteronthestates.org/
uploadedfiles/clean_economy_report_web.pdf

19.

Dierdorf, Erich C., Norton, Jennifer J., Drewes Donald W., Kroustalis, Christina M., Rivkin, David, and Lewis,
Phil. (February 2009) Greening the World of Work: Implications for O*Net-SOC and New and Emerging
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Endnotes

20. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Measuring Green Jobs, available at http://www.bls.gov/green/
21.

Goldman, Charles A., Peters, Jane S., Albers, Nathaniel, Stuart, Elizabeth, and Fuller Merrian C. (March 2010)
Energy Efficiency Services Sector: Workforce Education and Training Needs. Ernest Orlando Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory, available at http://eetd.lbl.gov/ea/ems/reports/lbnl-3163e.pdf, 39.

22. SEED Center. How Are the Resources Organized?, available at http://theseedcenter.org/Resources/
Resource-Center-Description/How-Are-the-Resources-Organized23. U.S. Department of Energy. Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. (July 2008) 20% Wind Energy by
2030: Increasing Wind Energy’s contribution to U.S. Electricity Supply, available at http://www1.eere.energy.
gov/windandhydro/pdfs/41869.pdf , 204-205.
24. American Wind Energy Association (2010), U.S. Wind Industry Annual Market Report: Year Ending 2009,
available at http://www.awea.org/reports/Annual_Market_Report_Press_Release_Teaser.pdf, 2.
25. Center for Energy Workforce Development. (October 2009) Get Into Energy Career Pathways for Skilled
Utility Technician, available at http://www.cewd.org/documents/pathwayswhitepaper.pdf , 5.
26. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (December 2009). Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2010-11 Edition: Overview
of the 2008-18 Projections, available at http://www.bls.gov/oco/oco2003.htm.
27. White, Sarah, Laura, Dresser, and Rogers, Joel. (2010) Greener Skills: how Credentials Create Value in the
Clean Energy Economy, available at http://www.cows.org/pdf/rp-greenerskills.pdf.
28. O*NET Online Green Economy Sector, available at http://online.onetcenter.org/find/green?n=0&g=Go;
Bureau of Labor Statistics May 2009 Occupational Employment and Wage Estimates, National 3-digit NAICS
Industry-Specific estimates, available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_dl.htm; Bureau of Labor Statistics
Occupational Tables 1.1 through 1.11, available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_dl.htm; and Greening the World
of Work, available at http://www.bls.gov/oes/oes_dl.htm.
29. The Conference Board, Corporate Voices for Working Families, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills,
and the Society for Human Resource Management. (2006) Are They Really Ready to Work? Employers’
Perspectives on the Basic Knowledge and Applied Skills of New Entrants to the 21st Century U.S. Workforce,
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30. MacKenzie, Doris Layton. (February 2008) Structure and Compontents of Successful Educational Programs.
Presented at Reentry Rountable on Education at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, available at
http://www.urban.org/projects/reentry-roundtable/upload/Mackenzie.pdf.
31.

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. (2010) Top 10 Fast Facts About Postsecondary Education, available at
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/postsecondaryeducation/Pages/postsecondary-fast-facts.aspx.

32. Harlow, Caroline Wolf. (2003) Education and Correctional Populations. Bureau of Justice Statistics, available
at http://www.policyalmanac.org/crime/archive/education_prisons.pdf.
33. U.S. Department of Education, Office of Vocational and Adult Education. Partnerships Between Community
Colleges and Prisons: Providing Workforce Education and Training to Reduce Recidivism, Washington, D.C.,
2009. Available at http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ovae/resource/index.html
34. Pinderhughes, Raquel, and Kirschenbaum, Sarah. (April 2010) Review of Environmental Literacy Curriculums.
35. National Correction Industries Association. Who Are We? Available at http://www.nationalcia.org/
?page_id=24.
36. Sabol, William, J. and others, Prisoners in 2008 (Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2009)
available at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/pub/pdf/p08.pdf

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