Belew: Work Release Program "A Win-Win"

By Shannon McFarlin News Director
Paris, Tenn.—At Monday’s busy Henry County Commission session, commissioners had more good news from Sheriff Monte Belew and Deputy Lt. Daniel Powell about the positive status of the sheriff office’s work release program.
The program was approved by the county commission earlier and is working well, Belew and Powell said. The program has employed 27 inmates and of the 27, only three have been fired from the program. Thirteen out of the 27 have been released with time served from the program and 11 of those 13 are still gainfully employed by either the employers they had during the program or other employers, they said.
Decreasing recidivism was a goal of the program and that is only at 30 percent, with only four of the 13 inmates who have been released having re-offended or returned to jail. Belew noted that in the nine months the program has been in operation, re-offending is considerably lower than the jail average of 85 percent.
A goal of the program is to provide inmates with the opportunity to re-enter society with the skills necessary to lead a productive life and be better prepared for the transition back into the community and that is occurring, both Belew and Powell said.
The inmates in the program are making money that is being put in their accounts and will help them transition into society after their release by helping them pay rent, buy a car, reinstate their drivers’ licenses, etc. “One of the main goals is to give them something to leave jail with and that is happening,” Belew said.
“This has been a win-win for us,” he said, “and Daniel is a great manager of the program.”
Five more inmates currently qualify for the program, they said. “We’re just waiting for some other employers to step up.”
State Rep. Bruce Griffey, R-Paris, applauded the program and said he’d like to take Belew and Powell to Nashville to present information on the program for legislators.
Photo: Sheriff Belew and Lt. Daniel Powell report on the work release program while Commissioner Dell Carter listens. (Shannon McFarlin photo).