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McCook’s Work Ethic Camp really works to put young offenders on a new path
by Gene O. Morris

When the Nebraska Work Ethic Camp opened in McCook in 2001, the team at the new facility faced a formidable challenge: to help young criminal offenders literally change their lives through a highly- regimented 180-day program.

It was a new approach for Nebraska, but the Work Ethic Camp team embraced the concept — making a sincere and sustained effort to help offenders return to their communities, obtain meaningful employment and lead a crime-free life.

Eight years later there is ample and increasing evidence that the Work Ethic Camp concept is making a difference. Of the offenders who have gone through the program, more than 85 percent have returned to society and avoided further problems with the law, said Barbara Lewien, the warden at the Work Ethic Camp.

Mrs. Lewien, who became warden in October of 2007, places high value on what the Work Ethic Camp is accomplishing. "We are making a contribution on so many levels," she said. "The main thing is the reentry effort. Through the Work Ethic program, we are giving offenders the best chance of success when they return to their home communities."

Communities also benefit.

Added to the success of graduates is the contribution the Work Ethic Camp is making to the communities of southwest Nebraska. "The camp is giving back through the work it does for cities, counties and civic organizations," she said.

The amount of work is impressive. In eight years time, the Work Ethic Camp   crews have amassed more than 280,000 hours of labor on area projects. Even at minimum wage rates, that amounts to a contribution of more than $1 million of labor.

The work has earned the admiration of area leaders. "I'm absolutely positive about the Work Ethic Camp," said Kurt Fritsch, the McCook city manager. "It is a tremendous asset for the community and for the state."

Rex Nelson, executive director of the McCook Economic Development Corp., also speaks highly of the camp. "I'm totally impressed with the quality of the program and the contribution the camp makes to the community."

A change of emphasis.

A lot of thought went into the Work Ethic legislation, which was signed into law by then Nebraska Gov. Ben Nelson June 10, 1997. Other states had tried "boot camp" programs with limited success, so Nebraska changed the emphasis to work and ethics, designing a 180-day program which filled participants’ days with work assignments, education, treatment programs and behavioral training.

The Work Ethic Program's purpose is to break the offenders' old habits and build new life skills, so time at the camp is strictly scheduled and regulated. The offenders' days begin with a 5:30 wake up call and concludes with 9 p.m. bedtime.

In between, no nicotine or caffeine is allowed, but there is a canteen for the purchase of hygiene and food items. Personal property is limited to a wedding band, a religious medallion and a wristwatch.

There is a system of inmate pay, with offenders paid a dollar a day at the start. The amount rises over the course of the six-month program, topping out at $4 per day for achieving the highest level of trust.

A growing program.

The Work Ethic Camp started small, with a design capacity of 100 offenders and an average population of 70 during the first seven years of operation. The total increased after legislation passed in 2006 which allowed prison parolees to be transferred to the camp. As a result of the change, top bunks were added and the population has since risen as high as 130. Because it's a six-month program, that means twice the number of the average population are served in a year's time.

Even though the numbers are not large, the cost of housing offenders compares favorably with other facilities in the state correctional system. The average annual cost of housing an offender at the Work Ethic Camp is $22,350, compared to $31,569 at the Nebraska State Penitentiary and $34,435 at the Tecumseh State Correctional Institution.

The Work Ethic Camp has provided an economic boost to the McCook area, with a large share of the camp's $4.1 million annual going for the payroll of the 80-member staff.

While the Work Ethic Program is systematic and structured, the camp continues to adapt and change, taking part in a welding training program, offering canine training and giving offenders the opportunity to plant and tend to a large garden. There are also religious and exercise opportunities, including recreational activities such as board games, card tournaments, basketball and physical training.

All that's done is aimed at the same goal: the offenders' successful transition from incarceration to a job and a crime-free life. People being people, it's not an easy task, but the emphasis on work and ethics is proving to be a step in the right direction.

A former publisher of the McCook Gazette, Gene O. Morris is now a freelance writer based in McCook, Neb. He may be reached by phone at 308-340-5972 and by e-mail at geneomorris@yahoo.com.

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