Inmate-refurbished 1971 Toyota forklift

Three inmates at a California prison devoted more than 80 hours of labour to refurbishing the body of a 1971 Toyota 2FG15 forklift as part of their vocational training under instructor Thomas Wilt.

Elvin Valenzuela, warden of the California Men's Colony, presented the improved forklift to Sheriff Ian Parkinson of San Luis Obispo County. Routinely, Valenzuela reaches out to local law enforcement agencies to strengthen relationships and provide assistance such as the refurbishing project.

The sheriff's office purchased the forklift for USD4,500 in October 2013, but its body "was in desperate need of a face-lift", says Lieutenant Monica Ayon, administrative assistant and public information officer for the men's colony in San Luis Obispo. The previous owner used the forklift in moving materials in an agricultural warehouse.

The county's fleet services team and the Santa Maria, California facility of Madland Toyota-Lift Inc will handle ongoing maintenance for the forklift. The sheriff's staff will use the forklift for general movement of palletised objects and store the equipment at the department's honour farm.

Twenty-seven inmates are assigned to receive instruction in the prison's vocational auto body shop. As of 19 September, the facility of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation housed 4,233 minimum- and medium-security inmates.