PASCO COUNTY, Fla. — In the need for some outdoor furniture? You may be able to find some in an unlikely place: the Pasco County Jail.
- Inmate Vocational Program teaches carpentry
- Work created by inmates can be purchased online
- Funds from sales go to build more items, keep taxpayer costs in jail down
- More Pasco County stories
The sounds of saws and sanders are not the typical sounds you’d expect to hear in a jail. But it’s what some inmates get to hear while they’re locked up in Pasco County.
“This is the best place to be out here," said inmate Richard Maratta. "If we have to be in here, I appreciate being out here.”
Maratta is serving time for a non-violent offense. But instead of being stuck in a cell, he’s hard at work in a wood shop, building everything from chairs to cornhole boards to chicken coops.
He's part of the Pasco County’s Sheriff’s Office Inmate Vocational Program. Inmates learn carpentry skills that they can then use on the outside.
“It’s really inspiring,” Maratta said. “We’re learning a lot. Then when we get out in the real world, we can apply it.”
Anyone can purchase the inmates' work online. They get a lot of orders, and money from sales is used to build more items and keep taxpayer costs down in the jail.
Inmates at the jail also are responsible for keeping up the grounds at the sheriff’s office. They receive a certificate of instruction, which shows hours completed when they leave to help them find a new job.
To check out what's available for sale currently, visit https://pascosheriff.com/court-services-bureau.html#.