The Joint Venture Program at the California Correctional Center recently presented a check to the Lassen County District Attorney’s Victim and Witness Assistance Program in the amount of $1,399.94.
The Joint Venture Program is based on Proposition 139, passed by the voters in 1990. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is responsible for implementing the Prison Inmate Work Initiative.
Under the provision, private businesses can set up operations inside California prisons and employ inmate labor. The inmates are paid prevailing wages, which are subject to deductions for room and board, crime victim compensation, prison family support, and the mandated inmate’s savings plan upon parole or discharge.
The program is described by the CDCR as a model of public and private cooperation, benefiting businesses, crime victims and the State, while preparing inmates for successful integration into the community.
CCC implemented the Joint Venture Program in 1996. Inmates are employed with the Five Dot Land and Cattle harvesting alfalfa on a seasonal basis.
