By MIKE BILLINGTON
Staff reporter
06/28/2003

It is the final resting place for about 150 people, but Selbyville's historic Joseph Long Cemetery looked like just another overgrown lot until this week.
Thirteen inmates from the Sussex Violation of Probation Center in Georgetown spent Thursday and Friday cleaning up the 19th-century cemetery. They cut brush, pulled weeds and yanked bushes out by the roots. They even felled trees that had grown up on the cemetery's hallowed ground.
"I can't believe how quickly and how well the inmates have been able to clean up this spot," said longtime Selbyville resident Fred Stevens.
Stevens, who has several ancestors buried in the cemetery, said he appreciated the inmates' hard work.
"The folks buried here should have a decent and dignified resting place," he said.
The inmates have made a dramatic difference in the cemetery's appearance, said Cpl. Edward Shockley, the corrections officer who supervised them.
"If you saw it before and you see it now, you can get an idea of how much work has been done," said Shockley, who added he was surprised to find some of his own ancestors buried in the cemetery.
"You can see the tombstones now and the way the cemetery was laid out, which you couldn't before," he said. "There's more work needs to be done, but this is a good start."
The inmates worked hard on two of the hottest days of the year, Shockley said.
"When you're using chain saws and other tools to move debris and briars, well, it gets to be a little trying," he said.
Inmates agreed.
"We cut down little trees, got rid of thorn bushes and pretty much tried to make it look presentable," inmate Robert Luff said. "I've worked on projects before where we cleaned up state parks and cleared pond banks, but this was definitely hard work on a hot day."
The cemetery cleanup is the latest in a series of community service projects that inmates at the Georgetown center have done over the past several years, Warden Bob George said.
"We want to be good neighbors and good community members," he said.
Capt. William Oettel, who coordinates the projects for the center, said inmates have done work for several communities as part of that "good neighbor" philosophy.
"We work hard to be good neighbors," he said. "This project is just one example."
Department of Correction spokeswoman Beth Welch said the center's inmates are "rule breakers" who have not committed new crimes. They violated their probations by failing to report to a probation officer when they were supposed to, changing residences without telling their probation officers, staying out past curfews or committing other minor infractions. Instead of being sent to prison, Welch said, they are sent to the center.
Correction commissioner Stan Taylor said the center's goal is to remind inmates of their responsibilities while on probation and helping them adjust to community life.
"Our mission is to do more than incarcerate these individuals," Taylor said. "Involvement in work and activities that benefit others helps offenders feel like they are a contributing part of a community."
Inmate Robert Dykes, who spent two back-breaking days clearing brush at the cemetery, said, "Let me put it this way: It helps you get back some self-esteem. Sure you're down and out, but you're still contributing."
Dykes said such projects can lead to jobs for inmates once they are released. This one won't, he said, but he felt good about the work.
"When I get a chance, I'll bring my daughter Amanda down to show her what we've done," Dykes said.
Shockley said the work at the cemetery is about half-done. Correction officials said inmates will return to finish the cleanup.
"We always finish what we start," Oettel said. "We'll be back in the very near future."
Reach Mike Billington at 324-2771 or mbillington@delawareonline.com.