Points to Missouri

Kentucky prisons do have agricultural and horticultural programs for inmates, but nothing this sophisticated.

Bon The Geek at Zandar's place:

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri prisoners have raised more than 50 tons of vegetables and fruit that have been given to food pantries around the state.

The Department of Corrections says this year's harvest was significantly higher than last year's, when the agency donated 29 tons of produce through its Restorative Justice Garden Program.

Under the program, all the seeds and plants are donated to the Corrections Department, which then donates all the resulting food to local pantries.

Everyone wins. Hungry people get a boost, and prisoners get a chance to contribute and do a good thing. This is the type of solution we should be looking for, where we take a resource not being used and give it a purpose that helps everyone involved.

Good job, guys.

If you've ever grown a garden, you know there are few things in this life as rewarding as harvesting your own produce. One of those few things is donating your surplus to your local soup kitchen or food bank.

Hard to imagine a program more likely to encourage personal, social and civic responsibility among inmates.