Inmates may clean up Mississippi County cemetery

Standard Democrat

CHARLESTON, Mo. -- Inmate labor from the Southeast Correctional Center in Charleston may be just what the county needs to keep the Oak Grove Cemetery in nicer condition.

Mike Cornell, SECC's assistant superintendent, and Thomas O'Guin, work release coordinator, presented information on the SECC's inmate labor program and answered questions for Mississippi County officials during the regular county commission meeting last week.

The cost for the county is $7.50 per inmate per day, which is paid to the state, which then pays the inmates. Participating inmates are the lowest security risks.

If a contract is signed, O'Guin said, the labor must be used year-round and not as seasonal or temporary labor.