Yes, Virginia, the rest stops are open again. But to make them more affordable for the state, prison inmates may soon be working at the stops, cutting grass, cleaning and doing routine maintenance. As part of his government-reform initiative, Gov. Bob McDonnell wants to change the state code so inmates can work along interstate highways and maintain the state’s 42 rest stops, but he needs General Assembly approval. The proposal cleared a Senate subcommittee Wednesday.
“It helps as far as some of our maintenance costs,” said Mike Reynold, the governor’s deputy policy director. “We’re trying to think creatively, think outside the box.”
Inmates can now be used as labor along state highways and secondary roads, but not interstates. Many are already being put to work elsewhere in the Virginia, including on the state Capitol grounds, Reynold noted.
“Obviously by using inmate labor, we don’t have nearly the manpower costs from employing, say, a contractor,” said Del. Rich Anderson, R-Prince William, the bill’s House sponsor.
State code requires that all interstate maintenance be outsourced, and the state’s rest stops are managed by contractors hired by the state Department of Transportation. It costs about $500,000 a year to maintain each rest stop.
“There’s ample precedent set, and there is no danger of risk or flight,” Anderson said. “They’re typically people who want to complete their term.”
But Sen. Dave Marsden, D-Fairfax, wasn’t as amendable.
“Here’s the thing,” said Marsden. “Prison work crews come and go along fine until one of the prisoners walk off and do something [horrible].”
“There’s just a lot of questions,” he said. “I’m really leery about these kinds of things.”
McDonnell’s predecessor, Democratic Gov. Tim Kaine, closed some of the state’s rest stops to help reduce spending and cover a budget shortfall. McDonnell moved quickly to reopen the stops shortly after taking office last year, but he is looking for ways to reduce the cost of maintaining and operating them.
