“So why do Cook County inmates appear to be clearing snow without jackets on? Sheriff’s spokeswoman Cara Smith told HuffPost that the photo mischaracterizes the situation and that the Chicago Community Bond Fund should not have shared it without contacting her. Smith said the men in Monday’s photo are part of Renew, the county’s vocational program in which inmates are paid to learn skills that could help them get a job. The program selects work projects in distressed communities, and some of the program’s inmates were happy to help clear the snow Monday during a staff shortage, she said.“

Huffington Post

January 29, 2019