County commissioners vote against Senate courts bill
The Orange County Board of Commissioners voted 5-0 Tuesday for a resolution opposing proposed N.C. Senate reductions to criminal justice programs.
Assistant County Manager Gwen Harvey said the reductions would cut funding for drug treatment cuts, family courts and juvenile courts and would negatively impact community safety.
The resolution will be passed on to the Orange County legislative delegates, who will be requested to lobby against the proposed funding cuts.
The commissioners also received a report on prison labor Tuesday regarding the state’s inmate labor programs as well the county’s past use of prison labor.
Orange Correctional Center Superintendent Michael Thumm said the county’s community work program, which deploys 20,000 hours of labor annually, is already a valuable resource for helping inmates learn valuable skills.
“I believe in trying to help people change their lives,” Thumm said.
Commissioner Chairman Moses Carey lamented that a disproportionate number of inmates are African-American and added that he supported the county in taking a leadership role in helping prisoners improve their lives.
According to the report inmates are currently paid 40 cents a day for janitorial work, 70 cents for landscape work and $1 per day for cooking.
