2 inmates help official prepare records for microfilming

The work-release inmates are not being paid.
By LAURE CIOFFI
VINDICATOR NEW CASTLE BUREAU
NEW CASTLE, Pa. -- The orange jumpsuits are what strike the eye at first glance.
Seated behind two desks at the county prothonotary's office working through mountains of files are two Lawrence County Jail inmates.
Prothonotary Helen Morgan said she was given permission to use inmate labor to help her get through the paperwork in her office.
The county is microfilming all court records from 1985 to 2000.
But to save money, Morgan said, the papers must be in sequential order before being sent for microfilming. She said summer help started the job, but she has had no one working on the project since summer ended. She sought help from the jail.
Minimum-security inmates
Warden Mark Fellows said they asked for volunteers from the inmates in minimum security. The men working in the prothonotary's office are not being paid, he said.
He said both are on work release and started work Thursday. Fellows said this is the first time in his year as warden that inmates have been used for county work. The warden was unsure how long they would be working in the county office.
Morgan said she thinks it will take a few months to get through the mountain of papers in her office. There are more than 1,000 boxes waiting for microfilming.
"They are saving the taxpayers a lot of money," she said.
cioffi@vindy.com