SHERIFF TRIES FOR WORK-RELEASE PROGRAM

It hasn't been easy, but Tracy Bossbach's gotten her life together.

Arrested for cocaine possession four times in the past five years,
she has battled an addiction that often has left her broke and
homeless.

But she has been clean for eight months, has held down a job as a
prep chef at Bob Evan's Restaurant and has an apartment.

Last week, she earned a raise, and she hopes to obtain custody of her
10-year-old daughter in early August.

Bossbach credits her turnaround to Alachua County's Work Release Program.

She went through the program three times; her six-month stint last
year put her back on track.

"Somebody saw something in me that I didn't see," the 34-year-old
Bossbach said.

The program allows low-risk offenders to work while serving time in a
dormitory-style facility in northwest Gainesville. The program is
highly structured.

Offenders must sign in and out, take drug tests and attend sessions
with a counselor, substance abuse group meetings and anger management
classes. The facility has 60 beds.

Participants, whose time in the program varies, must pay the county
40 percent of their net income for room and board.

Last year, the county collected more than $257,000.

County officials say the program is one of the best in the state. For
the past 10 years, two-thirds of those who entered the program
successfully completed it.

But Sheriff Steve Oelrich believes he can do better.

This afternoon, Oelrich is expected to present a plan to the Alachua
County Commission explaining how the Work Release Program should
become part of the jail that he operates.

He believes he can run the program more cheaply and efficiently.
Early estimates are that the sheriff can save the county about
$119,000 a year from the total cost of more than $900,000 a year.

Besides, Oelrich says he is ultimately responsible for the custody
and medical needs of those participating in the Work Release Program.

"It's much more appropriate to have them under the authority of the
jail," Oelrich said. "It's a jail function."

He might have a point. Of the 39 formal work release programs in the
state, three-fourths are overseen by sheriff's offices that also
handle the county jail. The Board of County Commissioners runs both
the jail and the work release programs in five counties.

Only in Escambia County and Alachua County does the sheriff's office
oversee the jail while the county oversees the work release program.

But the sheriff is likely to have a tough sell.

A majority of the County Commission is skeptical of what the sheriff
can bring to a program that has been operating relatively smoothly
since 1974.

"Many people who make mistakes have families they still need to
support and single mothers with children they need to care for,"
County Commissioner Penny Wheat said. "There is a clear difference in
philosophy between a law enforcement agency running such a program
and the county."

Work release programs were established for low-risk inmates in an
effort to free up more costly space in the county jail for
higher-risk inmates.

The program gives employed offenders a way to continue to work while
serving their time. It also requires them to pay court fines and fees
and restitution to victims.

After those who are unemployed are put in a situation of finding a
job or going to jail, they look for a job. They are given two weeks.

About 83 percent find work in the first week of the program, County
Court Services records show. The others are said to find jobs in the
second week.

"One of the primary purposes of the program is to teach structure and
responsibility to those who might not have had that in the past,"
said Cyndi Morton, director of the county's Court Services
department. "We think we do a great job running the program."

The sheriff is expected to present his plan at the commission's
budget meeting scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. in the Alachua County
Administration Building, Room 209.

"We look forward to seeing what it is he has to offer," County
Commissioner Rodney Long said.

Sam Johnson's only concern is that other people be afforded the same
opportunity he had. A year ago, he was jailed for driving with a
suspended license after a DUI arrest.

The 57-year-old had retired after 35 years in the military and then
with the Veterans Affairs Medical Center. But he spent his days
fishing, goofing off and drinking alcohol, he said.

The Work Release Program gave him a new lease on life.

"It gave me a kick in the butt back to reality," said Johnson, who
now works as a meat cutter at Ward's Supermarket. "I just had too
much time on my hands."