We published an investigation this week featuring Christian Alcoholics & Addicts in Recovery, a rehab program that puts court defendants to work at chicken plants.
The workers don’t get paid for their labor. CAAIR does.
We found a slew of rehab programs that supply cheap and captive workers to major poultry companies, such as Tyson Foods and Simmons Foods.
The chicken companies pay for the labor. In some programs, the rehabs pocket the wages, and the defendants work for free. In other programs, they get to keep some of their pay.
Rehab: Drug and Alcohol Recovery Program
Chicken company: Simmons Foods
A convicted meth dealer named Raymond Jones started DARP after finding God in another work-based program. Like CAAIR, DARP is Christian-based. The participants aren’t paid. It was CAAIR founder Janet Wilkerson’s inspiration.
Drug courts in Oklahoma routinely send men to DARP.
“You had to work six days a week,” said Tanner Woods, who was court-ordered to the program. “I was worse off when I left DARP than I was when I got there.”
One man severely hurt his ankle while working in the chicken plants, according to a lawsuit. Rather than get him proper treatment, DARP sent him “right back to work.” Another drug court defendant who was recovering from back surgery was forced to work at Simmons, under threat of prison. He said he worked 14-hour days, six days a week, according to his deposition in a lawsuit.
DARP’s founder, Jones, did not respond to calls for comment.
Rehab: The People’s Network
Chicken companies: George’s Inc., Tyson
The Missouri program puts defendants to work at chicken plants owned by George’s Inc. and Tyson. They get about 5 percent of their total pay if they complete the program, according to Bryan Boman, a TPN employee.
Boman said the rehab operates like a temp agency for companies with high turnover rates.
“It is work therapy because it shows them the benefit of working for a year,” said Eric Freeman, who used to work for TPN. “There is benefit to hard manual labor.”
Rehab: Northeastern Oklahoma Council on Alcoholism
Chicken companies: Simmons, Tyson
NOCA puts some defendants to work processing chicken for Simmons Foods and Tyson, one of the country’s largest poultry producers. The defendants work for free for a certain period of time, and then are allowed to keep a portion of their pay.
An employee said NOCA’s directors were unavailable to comment.
Rehab: Freedom from Addiction through Christ, aka “The Ark”
Chicken companies: Tyson, Simmons
Men pay $1,200 to enter the rehab program and mostly keep their wages. They pay the rehab $200 per week for rent and transportation.
“The Ark is supposed to be a rehab,” said Harvey Fields, a former participant who now works full time at Tyson. He said the program helped him recover from his addiction, but said there’s very little to the program except for work at the plant. “Once you done pass a urine sample and you get a job, everything else goes out the window.”
Aletha Redden, The Ark’s executive director, said many participants leave the program “with huge savings.”
Simmons Foods and George’s did not respond to calls for comment.
A spokesman for Tyson Foods said it doesn’t actively seek out rehab participants.
“We’re not soliciting job applicants from these programs, however, clients of these organizations may seek work with us just like anyone else,” he said.
This post has been updated to note that Harvey Fields said that “The Ark” helped him recover from his addiction.
Have a tip about rehab programs that put defendants to work? Let us know.
Amy Julia Harris can be reached at aharris@revealnews.org, and Shoshana Walter can be reached at swalter@revealnews.org. Follow them on Twitter:@amyjharris and @shoeshine.