Restorative Justice garden at Western Missouri Correctional Center donates produce

The Western Missouri Correctional Center has donated 19,587 pounds of produce grown in its Restorative Justice garden to local food pantries in Cameron, Stewartsville, Hamilton, Gallatin and Trenton. The Restorative Justice Program holds offenders accountable and provides a means for them to repay their debt to their victims and the community. The department’s Restorative Justice Garden Program operates without the assistance of taxpayer money and grows a variety of produce every year at all 21 adult institutions. In 2016, correctional facilities across the state donated nearly 137 tons of fruits and vegetables that were harvested from inmate gardens and delivered to food pantries, domestic violence shelters and nursing homes throughout the state.