Sheriff John Miller's Jail Inmate Work Program Saves County Dollars
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Sheriff John W. Miller personally supervises two inmates on his work program who are doing landscaping work at the Bay County Building.
Lone inmate cuts grass at the Pere Marquette Depot on a hot summer day.
Bay County Sheriff John W. Miller's inmate work program is proving to be an effective way to save county dollars.
Not only that, the program assists non-profit organizations in the county that run benefit events like the Fourth of July Fireworks Celebration, Pig Gig, River Roar, the Munger Potato Festival and others.
For the past two years Sheriff Miller has been running a regular program that allows a few of the 200 or more jail inmates a few hours of "freedom" -- if they work for it.
"They've got to be watched, however," says the Sheriff, noting that supervision is a requirement even though these inmates are not considered a threat to public safety.
You may see the orange-vests of the jail release program participants cutting grass, running weed whackers or trimming hedges.
The main site for the workers is the county building and adjacent parking areas near the Pere Marquette Depot. But sometimes the inmates help out at Wenonah Park or Veterans Park to clean up after events.
The number of inmates on the work release program fluctuates from half a dozen to 15-20 on any one day, said the Sheriff.
"This program helps alleviate jail overcrowding since the inmates get five days off their sentence for every 30 days worked," he said. "And, it's a year-around program." In the winter inmates shovel show and chop ice at county facilities mainly, he added.
"We have found this work program a good way to get work done by non-violent offenders, mainly those who are incarcerated for driving offenses or similar charges," said Sheriff Miller.
MyBayCity.com joined the Sheriff one sunny day as he personally supervised a pair of workers at the north end of the county building.
"We like being able to get out of jail for a short time and do some worthwhile work," said one inmate, who said he has 90 days left to serve on his sentence. "It's a great opportunity to help out in the community," said another.
Both inmates appeared eager to please and indicated they are happy being able to get out from behind bars.
"We have had very good luck with this program and the inmates are motivated to do a good job," said the Sheriff.
Although the local inmates sometimes assist county employees on carpentry or maintenance jobs, "we don't replace union jobs," the Sheriff said. The Steelworkers Union that represents some county employees has been very cooperative, he said, knowing that it not only saves county money but gives them a hand when needed.
Non-profit organizations also are very happy with the program, Sheriff Miller said, concluding: "If they need people, we'll send them."
There are many similar programs both in Michigan and elsewhere but one of the model programs in the nation has been the Cook County, Illinois (Chicago) Sheriff's Work Alternative Program (S.W.A.P.)
Through the 1980s and 1990s, that has been one of the most successful, fastest-growing and beneficial programs in the history of the criminal justice system in Cook County. The program puts drunk drivers and other low-level offenders to work on the streets of Cook County, doing everything from assisting the Medical Examiner in handling the bodies of victims during the 1994 heat crisis to sandbagging during the 1991 Chicago Flood and the cleaning up after 1996 suburban floods, to removing graffiti and beautifying the County's public property.
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"The BUZZ" - Read Feedback From Readers! |
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tilley2046 Says:
On July 08, 2008
at 10:24 PM
I think what you are doing is a great thing.keep up the great work
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Dave Rogers |
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