NEWS
Jackson County Judge Terminates Public Works Program For Inmates
Vanessa Nguyen
After more than 30 years, a Jackson County Judge has decided to terminate the county's Public Works program for inmates.
Judge Woodrow Hatcher says the decision came down to unacceptable conduct and lack of supervision of the prisoners.
But some county officials believe the the program provides a much needed service to the community.
These inmates are some of the few that will be able to finish out the county's Public Works program.
They share a variety of responsibilities for many Jackson County agencies.
"They can be an invaluable resource for departments like Road Department, Parks and Recreation, even cleaning our buildings, we utilize them to do that. "
County Administrator Ted Lakey has a background in Corrections and knows firsthand the benefits of having them.
"And they are paying back a debt to society."
Which is why he was surprised when he found out the county would no longer be using them.
The Public Works program was created in 1978 to offset the problem of overcrowding in the Jackson County Jail.
In exchange for the prisoners volunteering their time, the county granted them a day off their sentence for each day they worked.
The program significantly reduced jail overcrowding in addition to saving the county hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Jackson County Judge Woodrow Hatcher released this statement regarding his decision to terminate the program:
"The court had over time received reports regarding unacceptable conduct by prisoners and the lack of supervision of prisoners that created a safety issue for the community. It appeared that no one wanted to accept responsibility and provide the prisoners with direct supervision."
He says the court applied a set of criteria in re-evaluating it.
And it was based on these reasons the court believed the problems presented by the program outweighed the benefits to the county.
"I wasn't aware of any problems and I don't know of any problems that have happened recently."
However, Hatcher says he is establishing a committee to take a closer look at the issues and get some feedback.
Lakey is one of the members on that committee
He says he will definitely be advocating to continue the Public Works program.
Judge Hatcher's order to terminate the program will only affect prisoners sentenced after November 5th.
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