Purgatory inmates get nail-file work

ST. GEORGE — Ten female state inmates housed at Purgatory Correctional Facility have new jobs sorting and packaging acrylic nail files.

Under a Washington County-backed agreement between Utah Correctional Industries and DHS Products of Cedar City, Purgatory will provide the site and security for the inmate work program. DHS supplies sheets of nail files. The files are punched out, stacked with quality control checks and then packaged into boxes at 1,500 nail files per box.

The inmates will receive $1 for each completed box of files. That is out of the company's payment of $5 per processed box. A victims' restitution program and UCI also get part of the money. UCI reimburses Purgatory $16.84 per hour for a deputy to watch over the program.

The inmates work two four-hour shifts, five days a week.

Michelle Fernandez, the DHS instructor for the inmates, is on parole herself.

"I know how important it is to do something besides just being cooped up all day," Fernandez said. "It gives you a boost."

The work began earlier this month.

Dallas Stephens, owner of DHS Products Inc., had trouble finding dependable, qualified production workers in Cedar City and wanted to see if the inmate work program would help.

To employ inmates, DHS Products must meet certain requirements, including that the work not interfere with the private job market and taking care of all the tax withholdings and workers' compensation programs.