Public Safety Minister Michael Dunkley yesterday promised to build on the success of a programme that encourages inmates to give back to the community.Mr Dunkley said that last year the Prison Farm Facility’s “Giving Back to the Community Programme” completed 19 projects around the Island.Among the projects were a clean-up of Fort St Catherine Beach, preparing the grounds at the Somerset Cricket Club for Cup Match and the subsequent clean-up, painting and refurbishing Bermuda College and carrying out maintenance work at Lorraine Rest Home.And at the Opportunity Workshop, a crew of inmates from the Farm Facility provided assistance with landscaping, clean-up and general maintenance.“We are definitely planning on expanding this more into the community,” Mr Dunkley said.“Understand that we have to be very careful for a number of reasons, one is the security aspect, and the Commissioner has been very good about making sure it’s arranged in an appropriate way, and the programmes are expanding as we speak now.”The minister said such projects not only provide a service for the community, it allows the men involved to develop skills that will help them re-enter the community and the workforce.“Statistics show that persons released from prison who have skills that make them employable and able to maintain employment are less likely to reoffend,” Mr Dunkley said.“This programme shows one way that our Corrections Officers are helping to return inmates to the community as upstanding citizens who understand the importance of an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay.”Commissioner of Prisons Edward Lamb said the programme is one example of how the Department of Corrections quietly does a great deal for the community, thanks to the hard work of prison staff and the inmates themselves.He also explained that there is a screening programme in place for inmates who want to become involved in such projects, for security reasons.