Regional Work Release To Expand
A Fayette County IN work-release program serving several area counties will expand.
“When renovations on a county-owned building south of the Fayette County Jail are finished next year, 56 beds will be available for non-violent offenders who are employed and qualify for the program. Currently, 14 beds in a section of the Fayette County Jail are dedicated to work-release inmates. “It gives (offenders) the opportunity to keep their job and keep their family supported. A very high percentage of them succeed,” said Fayette County Community Corrections director Bill Newkirk. “Besides Fayette County, we have also held inmates from Wayne, Union and Rush counties.”
The County has managed to find financing for the whole project.
The Department of Correction awarded Fayette County a $400,000 grant to help with the project’s estimated $800,000 cost. The grant will be matched by user fees offenders have paid for work-release or home detention, Newkirk said. None of the cost will come from the county’s general fund, he said. Work-release inmates pay for the privilege of keeping their jobs. They must pay their own medical expenses and contribute one hour of wages per day, or a minimum of $8 a day, to participate.
More on this program at the Palladium-Item.
IN Fayette County, IN Rush County, IN Union County, IN Wayne County, Work Release