JEFFERSON CITY – A select number of inmates at Jefferson City Correctional Center have been managing their closed-circuit cable channels for over 30 years. However, it’s a little known fact that the inmates now have an in-house media production studio.
It’s called Jeff Town Productions, and since 1986 the program has evolved from having one inmate on staff managing two channels, to having six inmates manage five channels and produce original content for the prison and for the Missouri Department of Corrections’ central office.
According to Ron Clements, an inmate at the facility, being able to produce videos and other content for the central office is something he’s proud of.
“Central office could easily hire a professional company to make these videos for them,” Clements said. “I think it goes to show that we produce high-quality content with the resources that we do have.”
The inmates mainly produce public service announcements for the central office. Past projects include anti-bullying, suicide prevention, texting and driving, and no more victims.
Their “No More Victims” project focused on topics all of them learned from their Impact on Crime Victims class. The class helps offenders understand the harm that their crimes have not only on themselves and their victims, but on society as a whole.
The inmates don’t have access to internet, so any technical skills that they have are all self-taught.
Inmate Michael Irby said when he first started work at Jeff Town Productions, he had very little experience working with technology.
“I could barely turn on a computer,” Irby said with a laugh. “Working here has definitely helped me find a purpose at a point in life when I didn’t think I had anything left to give.”
That feeling of being able to find a purpose while in prison is common for the rest of the inmates who work at Jeff Town Productions. Inmate Derek Clouse said Jeff Town has truly changed his life.
“I was a kid when I first came to prison, and when I got here I kept making the same bad choices that got me locked up,” Clouse said. “Being here, making videos for people on the outside to be able to see, that really helped change my outlook on life, and made me more confident.”
The offenders aren’t the only ones who’ve had a change of heart while being in the facility. Dan Krachey, supervisor of Jeff Town Productions, said working at Jefferson City Correctional Center has changed his outlook on offenders in general during his 23 years there.
”I used to be like most people who of course think that someone who’s in prison is just a criminal and that’s it,” Krachey said. “Now I’ve seen the other side of the coin and you realize that some of the guys in here aren’t too different from you and me.”
“This is our way of giving back,” Irby said. “It really makes me start to feel better about myself and gives me confidence knowing that I’m making a difference out there.”