Hurricane Harvey: Bristol Sheriff Offers To Send Inmates

TAUNTON, MA — Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson is offering to send local inmates to Texas to help with the Hurricane Harvey rebuilding effort. Hodgson told WBZ NewsRadio said it would benefit both the inmates and those affected by the deadly hurricane.

“Having inmates be able to go in there and know they really made a positive difference in the lives of all these people who have been devastated would be a wonderful thing for them,” Hodgson told WBZ. "They’re already saying there aren’t enough construction workers in the United States to deal with this ... So, it seems to me to make sense to have inmates that want to volunteer to get the experience in helping rebuild something."

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The plan would need approval from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, local sheriffs involved and the National Sheriffs' Association.

Earlier this year, Hodgson proposed sending Bristol County inmates to help build President Trump's border wall with Mexico.

Related:

• Hurricane Harvey Latest: Rescues Continue
• Hurricane Harvey: Cape Cod Coast Guard Makes 14 Rescues
• Trump's Mexico Wall: Bristol Sheriff Offers Inmates to Build It
• Hurricane Harvey: Animals Flown Out Of State To Make Shelter Room For Displaced Pets
• Atlanta, Georgia Prepare For Hurricane Harvey Evacuees

Photo: Flooded sections of Houston, Texas, from Hurricane Harvey. (Credit: Coast Guard)

Materials from The Associated Press were used in this report