HankT
State Researcher
imported post
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Retired officer objects to county inmates working at nursing home
OSSIPEE (AP) — A retired police officer says he may start bringing a gun with him when he visits his mother's nursing home.
David Batstone is among the critics of a program that lets prisoners from the Carroll County jail help out at the county nursing home.
"My mother can't defend herself," he said.
The inmates don't wear orange jumpsuits and aren't identified as criminals. Batstone says the nursing home should post signs and warnings. Officials say the free labor is safe — and irreplaceable, as they struggle to upgrade the aging nursing home after it failed an inspection by the state, then by the state fire marshal.
"They are the ones that we have out mowing the lawn," said county commission Chairman David Sorenson. "We're short on help, and we're using inmates. Unless you hear something different, or we get a tremendous amount of feedback form the general public, we are going to continue using them."
The Mountain View Nursing Home stopped using inmates more than a year ago. But now they are installing new ceiling tiles under a tight deadline, alongside regular work crews that are laying new floors and replacing outdated fixtures. If the ceiling fails to go up on schedule, county officials fear the state could fine the home or even close it.
Still, the nursing home's director asked for a vote on the inmates' presence at a meeting with the commission last week. Forrest Painter said the use of county jail inmates should be suspended temporarily because it has created "discomfort and discord" among staff and residents and their families. The commission asked Painter to determine how quickly the inmates could finish installing the ceiling tiles.
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Information from: The Conway Daily Sun, http://www.mountwashingtonvalley.com
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Retired officer objects to county inmates working at nursing home
OSSIPEE (AP) — A retired police officer says he may start bringing a gun with him when he visits his mother's nursing home.
David Batstone is among the critics of a program that lets prisoners from the Carroll County jail help out at the county nursing home.
"My mother can't defend herself," he said.
The inmates don't wear orange jumpsuits and aren't identified as criminals. Batstone says the nursing home should post signs and warnings. Officials say the free labor is safe — and irreplaceable, as they struggle to upgrade the aging nursing home after it failed an inspection by the state, then by the state fire marshal.
"They are the ones that we have out mowing the lawn," said county commission Chairman David Sorenson. "We're short on help, and we're using inmates. Unless you hear something different, or we get a tremendous amount of feedback form the general public, we are going to continue using them."
The Mountain View Nursing Home stopped using inmates more than a year ago. But now they are installing new ceiling tiles under a tight deadline, alongside regular work crews that are laying new floors and replacing outdated fixtures. If the ceiling fails to go up on schedule, county officials fear the state could fine the home or even close it.
Still, the nursing home's director asked for a vote on the inmates' presence at a meeting with the commission last week. Forrest Painter said the use of county jail inmates should be suspended temporarily because it has created "discomfort and discord" among staff and residents and their families. The commission asked Painter to determine how quickly the inmates could finish installing the ceiling tiles.
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Information from: The Conway Daily Sun, http://www.mountwashingtonvalley.com