4 Apr, 2010 @ 09:00
1 min read

Wood you believe it?!

CATALAN prisoners are repaying their debt to society by clearing up the fallen wood caused by damaging storms.

More than 500 jailbirds are now putting their “wasted energy” to good use as they aid the clean-up operations in Cataluna’s forests.

Environmental experts confirmed that the collected wood, after treatment, can then be used as biomass and burnt to produce energy.

“It is a real bonus for prisoners to be allowed back onto the streets,” said Montserrat Tura, Justice Advisor, in Barcelona.

The convicts receive a 400-euro monthly salary for a four-day working week and also receive training regarding how to remove wood dampness.

Despite the average jail sentence of the inmates standing at seven years, not one prisoner has tried to escape so far.

“Currently there are 500 working, but there are another 4000 wanting to do the same work,” added Tura.

Click here to read more Spain News from The Olive Press.

Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)

Jon Clarke is a Londoner who worked at the Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday as an investigative journalist before moving to Spain in 2003 where he helped set up the Olive Press.

After studying Geography at Manchester University he fell in love with Spain during a two-year stint teaching English in Madrid.

On returning to London, he studied journalism and landed his first job at the weekly Informer newspaper in Teddington, covering hundreds of stories in areas including Hounslow, Richmond and Harrow.

This led on to work at the Sunday Telegraph, Sunday Mirror, Standard and even the Sun, before he landed his first full time job at the Daily Mail.

After a year on the Newsdesk he worked as a Showbiz correspondent covering mostly music, including the rise of the Spice Girls, the rivalry between Oasis and Blur and interviewed many famous musicians such as Joe Strummer and Ray Manzarak, as well as Peter Gabriel and Bjorn from Abba on his own private island.

After a year as the News Editor at the UK’s largest-selling magazine Now, he returned to work as an investigative journalist in Features at the Mail on Sunday.

As well as tracking down Jimi Hendrix’ sole living heir in Sweden, while there he also helped lead the initial investigation into Prince Andrew’s seedy links to Jeffrey Epstein during three trips to America.

He had dozens of exclusive stories, while his travel writing took him to Jamaica, Brazil and Belarus.

He is the author of three books; Costa Killer, Dining Secrets of Andalucia and My Search for Madeleine.

Contact jon@theolivepress.es

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