Tamsin, Please cut and paste the following links in your browser.
1) The most extensive prison garden program near me in NYC is run by the NY Horticultural Society in the Riker's Prison complex: Here's the link to the NY Horticultural Society. ACGA Board Member Kate Chura is Chief Operations Officer http://hsny.org/ The HSNY project is called "Green House" http://www.hsny.org/html/greenhouse.htm After you read about the project, you'll want to e-mail the HSNY's Mr. James Jiler, who directs the HSNY Greenhouse project at - [EMAIL PROTECTED] - for more information. 2) Ability Magazine Article on NY Hort Society's programs including the Riker's Prison Project: http://abilitymagazine.com/ghostbusters_hort.html 3) The first thing about gardening and community gardening in specific is to look to local resources - it's amazing what you'll find close to you. I would suggest that your sister go to Silerwater Prison in Sydney to get ideas, talk to staff and prisoner gardeners. This is the web link for the attached story: http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s324248.htm Silerwater Prison Garden [6/7/2001] The Metropolitan Reception and Remand Centre at Silverwater in Sydney is the largest maximum security prison in Australia, with more than 900 inmates at any one time. Only four years old, it's a state-of-the-art facility but like all prisons, it's not a very welcoming place. There is, however, one area in this prison which has a soothing atmosphere - the garden. A small but very dedicated team of prisoners works very hard here nearly every day of the year. Angi, one of the gardeners, says, 'It's one of the most privileged jobs you can get in the gaol. You're a trusted person - the feeling is great out in the garden. And you get to see other people. Even just walking by and saying, "Hello" is a good thing.' The Ground Maintenance Overseer is Patti Angre, who works five days a week with the inmates. She's an enthusiastic supporter of their involvement. 'It's tough sometimes because you deal with people from all different walks of life. I have to be careful on whom I employ in the gardens. The wing officers have files where they keep records of inmates and their behaviour. If I feel that if an inmate can work and can be trained, then I'll employ them.' She had some initial problems. 'They'd never hand-weeded and they would say, "Oh, can't we use a spray?" I'd say, "No, because weeding is therapeutic. Besides that, we've got the birds and fish and turtles to think about."' Rod is on the garden team. 'I get to get out, away from all the riff-raff that goes on. We're out here on our own. We're trusted out here. I'm looking forward to getting home and making the wife a nice garden so she can get out and get a bit of stress relief from the kids, a bit of time out.' Despite its newness, the garden is well established and maintained. Built on land once owned by the explorer John Blaxland, its extensive lawns and garden beds are set out around an 1890s National Trust-classified hospital building. A beautiful landscape mural camouflages a concrete wall and there's a real stream with waterfalls. Native plants have been chosen for their fast growth and quick screening tendencies. Endangered green and gold bell frogs have managed to infiltrate the maximum-security water garden. At the moment there are three males, but it is hoped that some females will hop across from the Olympic site so they can breed. One of the garden team, Stuart, introduces an entertaining garden resident. 'Woody is a long-billed corella. We get rosellas coming through from time to time, a lot of magpies, pigeons, two male peacocks, two females. It's peaceful to see them getting around the place, enjoying them.' Jerry, another of the gardeners, takes strength from the garden's cycle of life. 'They're bred up from just little seeds and then a few weeks later, they bloom. You feel good about that, you know. Eventually when I get out of here, I'll know how to do my own gardening.' Patti says, 'Having a good garden really is very important, because it uplifts people's spirits. I've seen people who have been quite aggro. When they start working with us they are a bit calmer, because they're actually doing something, they're not just locked up in their cell doing nothing.' 4) Here is a great reply that I pulled up from the archives of the ACGA listserve ( just go to mallorn.com, find community garden and once you're gotten into the years listed, you can search by topic) From: David Hackenberry [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Tuesday, December 17, 2002 11:00 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [cg] re: info on Prison Gardens (Beth Waitkus) I am running a prison garden program for female inmates in Pueblo Colorado. Including gardens, greenhouses, landscaping and floral design. I have a list of contacts around the country and world who are using gardens in prisons. And I have been documenting the success rate of gardeners released from my facility.I would be happy to share info with you. David K. Hackenberry, HTR Colorado Dept. of Corrections Pueblo Minimum Center PO Box 3 Pueblo, Colorado 81002 5) Adam's seat-of-the- pants answer: You'll want to have both soothing, decorative gardens as well as a communal market garden, not individual plots. The idea here is rehabiltation and getting people who ended up in prison working together. Some prison gardens raise food for the prison, for local senior citizen, soup kitchens and other desperately needed Food Security Programs. It is a way, for many prisoner volunteers, to make amends...to give back. But talk to the professionals that I listed above. They may have very different ideas. Best wishes, Adam Honigman, Volunteer, <A HREF="http://www.clintoncommunitygarden.org/";>Clinton Community Garden</A> Subj: [cg] Prison gardens Date: 3/21/03 2:52:59 AM Eastern Standard Time From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (Tamsin Salehian) Sender: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] (CG List (E-mail)) I have a question for anyone involved in prison gardens. My sister (a landscape architect) is designing grounds for a low security prison and would like to include a horticultural therapy section in the way of either a market garden or individual plots. The ability to grow food would be an advantage but the question is: what is thought of as the most useful design - a market style garden or individual plots? Also if plots what size/person? Unfortunately plans have to be made without consultation with prison users, but it was felt that the inclusion of gardening elements would be beneficial. Is there a website/books or other studies which would be useful for this? Thanks for any help. In peace, Tamsin (Melbourne) >> ______________________________________________________ The American Community Gardening Association listserve is only one of ACGA's services to community gardeners. To learn more about the ACGA and to find out how to join, please go to http://www.communitygarden.org To post an e-mail to the list: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To subscribe, unsubscribe or change your subscription: https://secure.mallorn.com/mailman/listinfo/community_garden
