hannah- maybe you are able to pay your fines if you get them but you have to think about the "average joe" who gets a ticket for speeding and can't pay it due to losing their job. These people are working off fines stemming from library fines, OWI and speeding. Some of them are not the "common criminal" that everyone tends to think they are.

JJackson, again you submit a post that is around 95% false information. Apparently you do not know alot about that department as partially proven by Cpt. Steebers post. I don't know maybe you get your jollies misleading the public but don't get upset when you are called on it. The trustee program is separate and the majority never even report in to the jail. The only ones that have to submit applications are ones that are in jail and want to become part of it. The inmates do not get time off of their sentence for doing it , it IS their sentence. If they fail to comply with it would be the only time they go to the jail. It has been obvious from all your current and past posts that you have been fired from or quit the department and going by what information you have it can be deduced as to when. Hannah, any inmate that is sentenced to huber does pay, I believe it is around $117.00 a week.

Dont we all work and pay our fines IF we had one??? sorry I didnt understand the program. I guess I am talking about the ones in jail who get out to go to work. Who pays for their food and beds? US? I think they should and put the rest to work who are their and cannot leave. you do the crime you do the time AND you pay for your time. No free rent in prison or jail!

They could have helped pick up those large items too.

Thank you, Capt. Steeber. It's important that the public realize not only does this save the taxpayers money, they get the benefit directly or indirectly through the community service function. The bus permits that service to be out in the community in many more ways.
.
The county's page has up-to-date statistics on it. YTD, over 600 inmates have performed over 17000 hours of community service and kept 2150 bed days open in the jail to be used by more deserving persons. That service has contributed to over 50 local organizations including municipal parks and public works facilities as well as major events.
http://www.co.rock.wi.us/Dept/Sheriff/Ja...

hannah-they aren't in jail. they're working to pay their fines.

they should work to pay for their room and board instead of the tax payer paying for YOUR crimes.

I like how this story starts over and all the other posts are lost. But I'll summarize....waist of time !!!!!!

JJackson- The "guy" who sets up community service for inmates is part of the RECAP program. RECAP inmates are a higher classification than the Workender inmates. Also the "guy" who transports them is a civilian so he is not armed nor has he attended any of the training a corrections officer has.

As I work in the program I would like to set the record straight. The Workender Program is established by the Rock County Sheriff’s Office, as an alternative to housing inmates in the Jail. This Program allows low-risk inmates to serve their sentence on the weekends or midweek without disrupting their jobs, childcare, or school.

It is the policy of the Rock County Sheriff’s Office to afford all qualified inmates equal opportunity to participate in the Workender Program and to ensure that individuals participating in the program are assigned to perform community service for governmental or nonprofit organizations on weekends and during the midweek. Rock County Sheriff’s Office personnel supervise Workender inmates during all work details.

As the inmates that are involved in the program are low-risk, the correctional officers that work in the program have limited exposure to risk. They are trained to handle the inmates and have radio communication in case there are problems.

Trustees are not a part of the Diversion Programs.

Capt. Russ Steeber

intheloop: for your information...I know a lot about that department! And I do know that the Trustee program IS part of the diversion program. The program helps SENTENCED INMATES work time off their sentences by doing work around the jail and other various activities! Furthermore, most people in the program has to sit a day or two in jail. They have to complete and submit the appropriate paperwork and hope it gets approved. If its approved then they are released from the jail and has to report to do an "X" amount of days/weekends of community service.

So before you decide to talk about something you obviously know little about, do a little research!

kathy53546: Thank you!

People in Workenders are almost always there for non-violent ticketable offenses and unpaid municipal fines -- e.g. for an unleashed cat. They're not prisoners, and I agree with JJackson -- I just meant that these are not jail inmates. The whole point is making them do something else rather than taking up a jail bed, of which there are never enough.

Well I can clear alot of this up. The program that they are talking about is the workender program. It is where if you go to jail for a fine or you have a fine that has gone to a warrent you sign up for the program and if accepted for it you get out of jail and you go home. You report 2 days a week to the program and you do community service to work off your fines. It is a really good program and it saves space in the jail for people that are sentinced to do jail time for other crimes that they comminet. So there is no reason for anyone in the program to try to escape they aren't in the jail while doing this program.

thats the question i have too,will this woman driving the bus be safe? i dont like the idea of her being on that bus alone.will there be another officer on the bus with her,to guarantee her some safety,face it you never know when an inmate might just snap.

JJackson, The diversion program does not take place in the jail they are not even in the same building. The inmate worker program AKA:(trustees) which is in the jail has nothing to do with the diversion program. As usual with your posts about the Sheriff's Office you are wrong. Most of the people in this program do not even go to the jail. They report to it after they have been sentenced to it by the court. They stay at their own residence, work their normal jobs if they have one, and report in 1 or 2 days a week to do community service, they are not paid for this.

janesvillean: The diversion program does take place in the jail. There are several programs of such, inmate workers (Laundry Trustee, Kitchen Trustee etc). Inmates that are involved with the diversion program typically are inmates who do not have a job. Therefore, the jail offer them duties/chores to do around the jail to have some of their SENTENCED time knocked off. Thus being called the Diversion Program.

Ted, learn how to spell.

"Descent" bus? Does that mean it's really gone down hill???

I'm shocked they're even allowing CO's to do any type transporting. They're not even armed. I hate to think if something goes wrong like a fight, or even an escape attempt.

They must of have got rid of the one guy that used to used to do all the transporting of inmates to community service sites and the scheduling of inmates for community services.

1. Jail staff are not tasked with ensuring people pay their taxes which are due on April 15 next year.
2. Any paid community service will be subject to normal W-2 withholding rules, with a percentage taken out of the paycheck. FICA is taken out regardless. But I'm pretty sure that Workenders is unpaid.
3. A diversion program does not take place in jail. They work their regular job, and show up at the jail when required and get on the bus.