At the Utah State Correctional Facility, within the walls of confinement is a rare form of freedom…a vegetable garden.
“You name it, we have tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, kale. Kohlrabi, everything you see at the store plus more,” explained Todd Barszcz, the case manager for the prison’s program reentry program.
Cody Neilson, who is serving a life sentence, is one of the 32 prisoners who spends up to six hours a day tending to the plants growing within the walls.
“It’s freedom,” Neilson said. “When you’re here, you’re not in prison.”
The unique opportunity is part of the prison’s horticulture program that allows certain inmates to work while incarcerated.
“I will check them on our computer system, I’ll look to see when their last write-ups were,” Barszcz said. “You have to behave not only here, but back on your housing unit.”
The food grown is used in a different program for culinary arts at the prison, helping supply fresh produce.
“We grow specifically for them,” Barszcz explained. “So they’re not using prepackaged food and stuff like that. We’re able to provide them with fresh foods so they can get the most of the experience.”