Texas Department of Criminal Justice
TDCJ’s Farm Shops provide preventative maintenance and repairs to agriculture equipment, heavy equipment, trucks, automobiles and various other pieces of equipment.
They provide a hands-on learning environment to offenders. While working under the supervision of TDCJ employees, offenders gain valuable mechanical experience, giving them the skills and knowledge for employment in related field upon their release.
There are 15 full-scale farm shops in operation, which employ approximately 40 supervisors and utilize approximately 300 offenders. Offenders contribute approximately 130,000 documented labor hours. Besides keeping equipment mechanically sound, farm shops manage the diesel/gas/propane stocks for the equipment.
Farm shops are in the recycling business too. Scrap items such as iron and batteries are sold to re-claimers. Initially, scrap tires are considered for recapping. If not an option, then such tires are utilized in erosion control programs and/or used as feed troughs for cattle. The remainders are then disposed of through an approved recycler. Additionally, farm shops have initiated a “Black Diesel” recycling program where used engine oil is converted to fuel suitable for use in diesel engine powered equipment.