Prison Labor

The Clayton County Prison provides low-cost labor across the spectrum of nearly all County Departments and agencies, the Water Authority and several Clayton County municipalities by housing and working these Georgia Department of Corrections inmates.

The inmates perform a variety of jobs (many are skilled) that would be cost prohibitive at the current level if performed by paid County employees. These jobs include:

• Major renovation work and minor construction for county government and separate municipalities (City of Morrow, City of Lake City, City of Forest Park, and City of Riverdale), and the Clayton County Water Authority (all paying customers).

• Carpentry, plumbing, painting, electrical, HVAC work in county buildings.

• Cleaning of all county buildings.

• Cleaning and maintaining grounds and facilities in all county parks and buildings.

• Collecting roadside refuse and clearing road rights of way, lawn maintenance at various county departments; paving roads, installing sidewalks, digging and clearing ditches and catch basins; clearing dangerous intersections of trees and brush; and responding to severe weather clearing requests. Operating landfill transfer station, metal separation point, chipper/shredder, heavy earthmoving equipment, and a recycling facility.

• Making and installing traffic signs, installing and maintaining signal equipment.

 Most inmates actually work in the public sector, that is, on the county and state roads and right of ways and in and around public buildings and real property. Most citizens are not aware that the county right of way extends from the curb to between 10-15 feet in their yards. We occasionally have to work in that area and elsewhere on private property, e.g., (1) By court order in the case of abandoned or foreclosed property, and (2) to correct drainage problems affecting the neighborhood.

It is against Georgia law (OCGA 42-5-37) for any individual person to profit from inmate labor. Thus, we are scrupulous in avoiding unlawful situations. If you have any questions regarding a particular work project, please call the Warden or Deputy Warden at (770) 473-5777 and someone will quickly meet you on site to look into the legitimacy of the work.

Some citizens are concerned when they see convicts working near their house or subdivision. Rest assured we are working the least dangerous inmates within the Georgia Department of Corrections system. Each inmate is under close and well-trained supervision. The full weight of the law enforcement system is quickly available by radio and cellular phone in the event of a problem.

Clayton County saves the taxpayers well over one million dollars annually by working inmate labor. Utilizing inmate labor represents an optimization of your tax dollars.