By Craig Harris | The Arizona Republic
It’s late morning and the sun is already scorching as two “cowboys” in orange T-shirts and pants corral a mustang.
One is in front of the wild horse, while the other is a few steps behind the mustang as it gallops into a circular pen enclosed by a 14-foot fence topped with razor wire.
The men, felons inside the Arizona State Prison Complex-Florence, have been working since 4 a.m. to break a handful of wild horses in the latest work program for the state Department of Corrections’ business arm.
The goal of the nascent program is twofold: Teach inmates a trade they can use once they get out of prison, and turn a profit for Arizona Correctional Industries.
“Any program that puts our inmates to work, gets them skills, gets them off the yard and gives them meaning is good for the prison,” Warden Lance Hetmer said. “There is an old saying in corrections that a tired inmate is a good inmate.”
If you’d like to discuss equine law, contact Adam Trenk, atrenk@roselawgroup.com
