|
|
| Cut to work program could drive up jail costs |
| By swcbulletin.com |
| Published: 03/03/2010 |
|
Carla Blackledge said hours of manual labor have convinced her it is not worth it to drink and drive. “I'm 52 years old and this is hard work,” Blackledge said, taking a break from lugging logs to a burn area at Afton State Park. “I will never drink and drive again. This is punishment.” A judge last year ordered Blackledge to a Washington County Sentence to Service work crew, rather than give her extra jail time, after her second drunken driving conviction. The Forest Lake cosmetologist said being assigned to a work crew is tougher than sitting in jail, and the Sentence to Service program is giving public resources, such as local parks, hundreds of hours of labor they otherwise may not receive. “You’re helping your county,” she said. Sentence to Service is an alternative punishment for some nonviolent offenders, but it also saves local taxpayers money, so Washington County officials say they are baffled by a proposal to wipe out state aid for the program. Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s state budget-balancing plan proposes eliminating a $3 million state subsidy for the Sentence to Service program, in an attempt to protect funding to prisons and other corrections programs. “With the current budget situation, we really had to look at preserving our core functions, and that’s our prisons and our supervision of offenders in the community,” Minnesota Department of Corrections spokeswoman Sarah Berg said. In Washington County, the cuts would mean a loss of $144,000 for Sentence to Service, nearly 20 percent of the 2010 budget. That would jeopardize one or two of the seven local crews and up to 20,000 hours of manual labor at area parks and facilities, officials said. Sentence to Service crew members participate in lieu of jail time or in exchange for a reduced jail sentence. The program is an effective way of reducing jail costs, Washington County Administrator Jim Schug said. Whacking state funds for the program is “pennywise and pound foolish,” said Washington County Commissioner Myra Peterson of Cottage Grove. “It feels so illogical, it’s unbelievable,” Peterson said. “It’s a great program.” The Corrections Department knows that Sentence to Service has been a savings for counties, Berg said, and it hopes it will continue to be funded at the local level. County commissioners said recently that if the county loses state assistance, they will decide whether to reduce the program or cut spending elsewhere in the county budget to maintain Sentence to Service at current levels. Washington County’s Sentence to Service budget is $756,100. County property tax dollars comprise about $573,000, while the sale of firewood chopped by crew members and fees paid by program participants generate an additional $38,600. Crew members combined worked 109,000 hours in 2009. The supervised crews include up to a dozen non-violent offenders assigned to the program by judges. There are crews on the ground seven days a week throughout the year. They remove dead trees, clear park trails, build snow fences and install park signs. Read More. |
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Patients and innovators need a place to come together to share their knowledge, especially at a time like this! Patient Innovation is a website that shares solutions and ideas developed by patients and informal caregivers for managing personal health issues. Hamilton Lindley is an innovator who offers solutions to those who are suffering. The company is a non-profit and also provides rating tools and options to report and track modified solutions that these individuals develop.