Beekeeping program provides vocational training for female inmates GETTING A SECOND CHANCE
Story by Christine Souza • Photos by Fred Greaves
Female inmates serving sentences for nonviolent offenses at the Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove are learning about beekeeping through a first-of-its- kind vocational program that allows them to be outdoors and gain skills for a sweeter future. Hands-on learning happens at the bee yard, a short walk from the correctional center, which houses about 2,500 inmates, including up to 200 inmates in the women’s jail. The outdoor classroom features 10 hives of honeybees. “I just figured this will be a time where I can learn to be more productive within myself. Before I came here, I wasn’t making the best choices in life,” said Denaysia Thompson, who was serving a six-month sentence for driving under the influence. “When it came to this program, this is one of those ‘half-full’ things where I’ve seen other people do it. Rather than living vicariously through them, I figured I’d get my hands dirty.” The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office launched the Second Chance Beekeeping program in 2019-20, as one of the department’s many vocational, educational and treatment programs to equip offenders with the tools for successful reentry into the community. The course, which includes some classroom learning, is in session two days a week. Program instructor Steve Hays, a retired sheriff’s deputy and hobbyist beekeeper, brings 30 years of law enforcement experience and a passion for beekeeping to empower inmates with skills that could lead to future employment. “I’m trying to give back. I talk to them on a personal level, giving different keys for success and success stories, so just talking to them about how to stay out of jail,” said
Hays, who got interested in beekeeping from a mentor, a commercial beekeeper from Galt, who introduced him to the business and sold him his first hives. First in the nation While there is a vocational beekeeping program for male inmates in California, the program at Rio Cosumnes is the first in the nation for female inmates. “We wanted to give them an equitable stake,” Hays said. Inmates accepted into the program are introduced to basic honeybee anatomy, seasonality of bees, equipment and safety, and the role of different bees in the hive. As the course progresses, they learn more advanced techniques, such as swarm capture, splitting and creating new hives, and raising queen bees. Standing next to one of her assigned beehives, Thompson said, “It’s got our ‘honey supers’ at the top, which collect a majority of the honey. The bottom two hives hold our queen and her larvae and the eggs. That’s pretty much where all the magic happens.” Popping the lid off one beehive, Thompson inspected it for any pests or disease problems. She found the hive to be healthy. “The queen is doing really, really well. She’s producing a lot (of honey) at this time. It all depends on your queen,” Thompson said, affirming that the queen sets the tone in each hive, joking, “That’s everyday life right there.” Prior to prison, she said she worked in construction as a laborer. She plans to return to the field of construction when her sentence ends, but as far as a hobby goes, “beekeeping is definitely at the top of my list.”
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