Inmate Work Crews Support Washington County Woodcutters

The Washington County Jail used a work crew of 6-8 inmates, depending on the day, to buck up the trees and then split and stack the wood.

Inmate woodcutters are helping prepare wood for the winter that will be provided to elderly people in Washington County, Oregon. Photo courtesy: Dave Thompson/Washington Sheriff

(PORTLAND, Ore.) - Washington County Jail inmate workers have been working with the Washington County Woodcutters, Incorporated, an organization that splits and delivers firewood to elderly Washington County residents to heat their homes in winter. Sgt. David Thompson with the Washington County Sheriff's Office, says that over the past several weeks, Washington County Jail inmate work crews, supervised by Sheriff's Deputies, have been at Henry Hagg Lake cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood for the Washington County Woodcutters.

The Woodcutters are a group of mostly retired men who deliver firewood to needy elderly people in western Washington County each year. The Woodcutters deliver the wood free of charge to help the elderly heat their homes less expensively during the winter months.

Thompson says last year a storm blew a large number of trees into Hagg Lake. While park maintenance personnel removed the trees this year, park officials requested inmate workers to assist in processing the downed trees into firewood.

"The good will gesture was completed when the Woodcutters supplied the wood splitting machine and volunteered to deliver the wood free of charge to needy people in western Washington County."

The Washington County Jail used a work crew of 6-8 inmates, depending on the day, to buck up the trees and then split and stack the wood. The inmates also loaded the wood into the Washington County Woodcutter trucks for delivery.

Max White of the Washington County Woodcutters, says they were able to supply 40-50 cords of wood, in addition to the amount they usually deliver, because of the Sheriff's inmate work crew. He said the Woodcutters are not taking any more requests for firewood this year.

The Washington County Jail Inmate Work Programs allow low-risk inmates, directly supervised by Sheriff's Deputies, to give back to the community by working on various service projects while they are incarcerated. This project was particularly popular among the inmates because the firewood was given to needy elderly citizens in the community.