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Recycled Cycles
East Jersey Inmates Help Brighten Holidays for
Needy Children
Patrick Pantusco gazed around the garage and broke into a wide
grin. Every direction in which he looked on this chilly December
17 afternoon, he saw bicycles -- dozens of newly refurbished,
freshly painted two-wheelers, each decorated with a bright red
ribbon.
NJDOC Commissioner Devon
Brown has his say during a program at
East Jersey State Prison. Other guests included (from
left)
East Jersey Administrator Terry Moore, Rahway Police Chief
Kevin White, Rahway City Council President Jerry Scaturo
and Rahway Police Lieutenant Kevin Sherwood.
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Eight days later, the
bicycles would serve as presents for needy children who
may otherwise have found no gifts underneath the Christmas
tree.
"After the mistakes
I've made, it feels good to do something worthwhile and
to be involved with a project that will make my mom and
dad proud of me," said Pantusco, one of the inmates
to participate in the bicycle repair program at East Jersey
State Prison in Rahway. "Before we got started, I never
would have believed we could make these bikes look like
brand new. But we did.
"It's nice to know
that what we've done here will help to make some kids happy
on Christmas," he continued. "The way I see it,
it's the least I can do."
East Jersey's bicycle
repair program works in conjunction with the Rahway Police
Department
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in donating refurbished bicycles to underprivileged children in
the community. Throughout the year, the Rahway Police collect lost,
stolen, damaged and unclaimed bicycles. These bicycles are sent
to the prison, where inmates in the program rebuild them to like-new
condition.
On December 17, a ceremony was held at the prison,
at which time the refurbished bicycles were returned to the police,
who then distributed them to needy children in time for the holidays.
Those on hand for the ceremony included New Jersey Department
of Corrections Commissioner Devon Brown, East Jersey Administrator
Terry Moore, Rahway City Council President Jerry Scaturo and Rahway
Police Chief Kevin White.
"This project is part of our restorative justice
initiative, whereby inmates are encouraged to attempt to atone
for the harm they caused society," Commissioner Brown said.
"The inmates are learning a new trade, and in doing so, they're
spending their time in a useful, productive manner. In a very
real sense, they are paying the community back in reparation for
the crimes they have committed against society."
Moore noted that since many of the inmates have
children of their own, "to know they could do something for
kids in the community means a lot to them."
Furthermore, he added, "they're using skills
they can utilize once they're released. This program is constructive
in so many ways."
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