Criminals get put to work
People facing sentencing in circuit court will now re-pay their debt to society with some elbow grease along with jail time.
Under a new policy adopted by the court, those receiving sentences which include split confinement will be required to perform public service work in addition to any jail time they receive. Split confinement is a sentence where a person is required to serve a pre-determined amount of their total sentence (i.e. 90 days of a two-year sentence).
“It can range from working at the animal shelter to washing garbage trucks,” said District Attorney General Dale Potter.
The initiative has been used for some time in General Sessions Court as an addition to many sentences there.
“It gives them a chance to give something back to the community,” Potter said, noting public service hours will likely average around 20 to 30 hours, although the hours could range longer in some cases.
Performing the work would be part of the defendant’s probation, meaning if they fail to perform the work they could be subject to revocation of probation.
In addition to public service, the court will now require the defendant, in many cases, to obtain their high school equivalency diploma (GED) for those who did not graduate from high school. Potter said by requiring the GED, defendants will have a better chance to get away from a life of crime once they are out of jail.
“We see a lot of defendants who do not have a diploma and in this day and age, that really cuts down the jobs they can get,” Potter said. “By requiring them to get their GED, hopefully that will cut down on recidivism. It will help them to compete for jobs.”
The system was recently implemented in January and numerous people sentenced recently in circuit court have already been given the public service and GED requirements as part of their sentences.