The chief of the Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, Reginald Wilkinson, says safety and security concerns were addressed early on when the plant was proposed several years ago.
Wilkinson says inmates are screened before they're given an opportunity to work at the meat plant and guards and operators will have what he calls "maximum control" over prisoners at all times. In addition, plant manager Dave Bates says knives and other sharp instruments will be counted and electronically tracked.Bates says not only are sharp tools counted and tracked but T-bones, Pork Chops and Porterhouses are de-boned so they can't be used as potential weapons.