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What
is Jail Industries?
Jail
Industries is an inmate work program that utilizes inmates labor
to produce a product or service for offices of the county and
political subdivisions located in whole or in part in the county,
and nonprofit organizations that provide services to the general
public and enhance social welfare and the general well-being of
the community.
A
continuum has been formed to identify jail industries/inmate work
programs:
Community
Projects: Work
provided as a public service to government and non-profit
agencies.
Public
Works: Work
provided to governmental agencies, by inmates who are confined in
the jail, involving work crews who leave the facility during the
day to work on governmental projects.
Institutional
Support Services:
Work provided either inside the facility or on the grounds, to
avoid or reduce costs for the jail operation.
Traditional
Industries: The
production of products for use by governmental agencies produced
by inmates who are confined.
Private
Sector Jail Industries:
Employment of inmates for a wage to serve private customers.
The
Benefits of Jail Industries
A jail
industries program is a win-win situation for the community, the
Sheriff's Office, and the inmates involved in the program.
The community benefits both financially and socially by:
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Reducing the cost of confinement
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Improving county infrastructure
*
Preserving and extending the life of county investments
*
Inmates reentering the community with valuable work skills, life
skills, and work habits
The
Administrators and detention staff benefit from a positive image,
and a better environment which provides inmates with organized
activities, thus, reducing idleness, mischief, and recidivism.
The
inmates benefit the most from increased working skills and
experience, and for some, it breaks a lifetime of failure.
Habits and skills that normally are taken for granted are learned
and retained; routine of showing up everyday, and the basics of
teamwork, dependability, and punctuality. An improved
quality of life instills a greater sense of accomplishment and
hope for a new and more productive future.
Establishment,
Regulations and Selection Criteria
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