Raising Frogs for Freedom, Prison Project Opens Doors

Andrew Jones                                                                                                                       AP Bio

Article Review                                                                                                                     9/29/12

Johnson, Kirk. "Raising Frogs for Freedom, Prison Project Opens Doors." The New York Times. The New York Times, 27 Sept. 2012. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/us/raising-frogs-for-freedom-prison-project-opens-doors.html?ref=science>.

“Raising Frogs for Freedom, Prison Project Opens Doors,” tells the unbelievable story of Matt Henson and Taylor Davis, two individuals who are both prisoners, now living their lives behind bars at Cedar Creek Correction Center in the state of Washington.  Both Henson and Davis are serving time for stealing automobiles.  Although they are not free men, they have been spending their time raising 250 Oregon spotted frogs (Rana pretiosa), an endangered species, in the prison yard this past summer.  The program Mr. Henson is working with is writing a scientific curriculum for other frog raisers, in and out of prison.  Sustainability in prisons is having a very positive impact on inmates, significantly improving prisoner potential, with, one man finishing his Ph.D. after his release.  The program was the brainchild of Dan Pacholke, Washington State Director of prisons, who helped establish the program in 2004 at the 500 bed Cedar Creek prison.  Prisons all around the country are looking to bring nature and sustainable practices to their prisoners.  Why? - Because it is having a positive impact on prisoner rehabilitation while reducing the overall costs of incarceration.  For example, inmates grow a majority of their own food in Wisconsin, “and federal energy rules are pushing for the goal of zero-net energy use in federal prisons by 2030.”  This may seem like an unreachable goal, but the idea of putting prisoners to work with the combination of energy conservation and self-grown food products is very appealing.  In order to enter the program, individuals must compete and maintain a record of superb behavior.  They are even paid the paltry wage of 42 cents per hour!  Because of their dedication and hard work, inmates saw their frogs enter the wild six months after hatching.  This amazing process will begin all over again for next year beginning in the winter.

            Kirk Johnson’s article proves to be of significance to society because it demonstrates the hope for prisoners to be more productive, transforming their lives, and contributing positively to the world.  It is important to take notice of the movement amongst prisons across the United States who are using prisoners more efficiently to conserve food, while positively impacting our environment.  This article appealed to me because I had no idea that prisoners were involved in any activities such as farming and biological studies.  I am happy that inmates are doing more than just being locked up, and instead are reducing overall consumption of our scarce resources.  For example, in Wisconsin, most prisoners grow their own food.  In addition, waste generated has been reduced by almost 50% through recycling and composting.  The use of potable water has also been reduced by 100 million gallons through the collection of rainwater per year, all while inmate populations have increased.

            This article provided a good understanding of the potential for improved environmental conditions through innovative governmental programs.  The specific benefits to the environment could have been expanded to demonstrate a more national and global impact if the sustainability program were to be implemented more broadly.  Greater detail around the impact on specific scarce resources (eg. spotted frogs species, clean water, and waste) could have been provided to emphasize the potential for the sustainability program.  Kirk Johnson should have opened his piece describing the program, “Sustainability in Prisons,” providing a short summary of its background and how it came to be the successful organization it is today.  Johnson could have also went into more detail about Matt Henson and Taylor Davis’ relationship, and how they work together to achieve a better life and day-to-day existence for all prisoners.