Doing Time in a Cemetery on King's Highway

Six inmates in orange jumpsuites were in the Old Presbyterian Burial Grounds on Kings Highway in Middletown Tuesday, doing time.  

The crew of low-risk offenders are part of the Inmate Labor Program run by the Monmouth County Sheriff's Dept, and have been working regularly for the past two months in Jersey Shore communities under supervision, picking up debris after Hurricane Sandy, clearing walking trails, painting, doing carpentry and smartening up parks. 

"It gives us a time off our sentence, it gets us out of jail for a little bit," said a 33-year old inmate from Union Beach, whose name officials asked Patch not to publish. "Of course we get better food, too." 

Inmates typically get treated to pizza or sub sandwiches by the organizations that request them, a county spokeswoman said, a break from prison fare.  

Under Sheriff Shaun Golden, the Inmate Labor program at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution in Freehold has tripled its hours in the past few years. Inmates in jail for minor offenses, with records of good behavior, can volunteer for work projects as an alternative to spending time behind bars. It also gives them an opportunity to give back to the community. Last year, they logged 1,260 hours.

"It's an honor for them, to come here and get out of the jail for the day," said Sheriff Golden.  As the crews dragged out large limbs and raked around graves, Middletown's mayor, Gerry Scharfenberger said the free labor is "fantastic." 

The Public Works Dept. has many parks, roads to maintain. Not to mention, there are 39 cemeteries in the township, he said. "It takes the pressure off us," he said. "Plus, it's a great benefit to the town in a year it is celebrating its 350th anniversary."

Scharfenberger, who is a professor of achaeology at Monmouth University, studied this particular one-acre burial ground for his Master's Thesis. He said an ancestor of Abraham Lincoln is buried there, and there are many unmarked graves. 

Also present at the event were members of the Middletown 350 Committee, the Historic Landmarks Commission, and the Lion's Club.

Ray Veth, who is a history buff, said, "I think its wonderful. Hopefully we're going to continue to do this at other cemeteries around town."

Requests for inmate labor teams are made to program coordinator Medora Morris, and are evaluated in terms of the needs and feasibility of the project. The number to call is 732-431 7860 x 3673.