Davis,
when i was in louisiana at a 1796 antebellum mansion we had almost no
financial resources.  "community service" workers were often a godsend
to us.  they did the grounds (4 acres of lawns and gardens), designed
and printed stationery, assisted in lots and lots of ways.  ours were
people who had received community service for dwi only - no drug crimes,
no violence, no anything else.  we saw people from all levels of the
community and we had no probs with them.  but the judge was careful
about whom he assigned to us.  for us it was a definite plus.
linn

David Driscoll wrote:
>
> For a possible session at next year's Midwest Museums Conference annual
> meeting, I would like to hear from anyone with experience using any kind
> of prison labor (community service, work release, adults, juveniles,
> etc.) in museum operations.  I am curious about how extensive the
> practice currently is, what applications it is notably effective or
> ineffective at, and whether--given current trends in both museum funding
> and in the costs of correctional systems--prison labor may become more
> common in the years ahead.  Please reply either directly or through the
> list.