INMATES CAN LEAVE NEW COBB FACILITY, DRIVE TO WORK

MARIETTA - Dressed in suits and driving cars, nearly 400 Cobb County
inmates will begin to enter the county's work force this fall.

Construction is finished on Cobb's first work-release facility at a cost of
less than $5 million. The 384-bed facility, located on County Services
Parkway off Powder Springs Road, will hold men convicted of non-violent
crimes - mostly drug-related and white collar "money" crimes.

The facility marks a first for Cobb.

While prison work details perform manual labor for the county, the new
work-release facility will be entirely different.

"The whole purpose of this program is to make the participants
self-sufficient," said Col. Le wis Alder of the Cobb County Sheriff's
office. "It will keep many, many families off of welfare."

The typical inmate of the minimum-security facility will have been
convicted of a non-violent crime and sentenced to less than one year of
incarceration. Prisoners from the county jail will not be transferred to
the work-release facility; rather all participants will be newly convicted
and sentenced directly to the program.

So, many will hold jobs when they arrive, said Alder. Those without jobs
will have to find "gainful employment" upon arrival.

Once employed, the prisoners must maintain regular, private jobs. They will
wear civilian clothes and some will be licensed to drive cars. All will be
unsupervised by corrections o fficers while at work and will return to the
facility each night.

"It's basically a partnership between the our office and the community's
employers," Alder said. "We will communicate with the employers, but (the
prisoners) will work discreetly at their company."

While it may not be known that an individual is part of the program, they
will pose no danger to other employees, he said.

""We're not going to place any violent offenders or sex offenders or any
individuals who will be a threat to the community," said Alder. "The nature
of the offenders will not jeopardize the work environment."

If the program defies all stereotypes of serving prison time, the facility
itself goes even further.

First, there is no barbed wire. All entrances and rooms are watched by
surveillance cameras, but there are no guard towers or gated checkpoints to
pass upon entering or exiting.

Barred cells don't exist. Rooms are set up dormitory-style, with 48 inmates
to a bay. The living area consists of two rows of beds separated by a line
of card tables, with bath and shower rooms. The most striking aspect of the
living area is that it has no ceiling - one guard on a catwalk will look
down on the prisoners in the living area.

"This facility was designed with economy of labor in mind," Alder said.
"The idea is to minimize the number of staff needed. There will be one
deputy sheriff who will monitor (the living area)."

Alder said five guards will man the entire facility at any one time.

"To make this work, we're going to have to keep track of who's in, who's
out and when everybody will return," he said.

While in, prisoners will have access to an outdoor recreation yard and
community room, as well as washers and dryers.

"There will be no time that will serve as the devil's workshop," said
Alder. "There will always be something for participants to do during
non-work hours."

That will include high school equivalency, literacy and English as a second
language courses. Participants will also be able to enroll in narcotics and
alcoholics anonymous and will receive AIDs awareness training.

Visitation will be allowed during non-working hours and on weekends.

Another key aspect of the program will be financial responsibility.

"The participants will reimburse the county for a portion of their cost of
subsistence," said Alder. "They will also be responsible for paying any
child-support or court-ordered fees - such as victim restitution - from
their own salaries."

Although all participants will have been convicted of non-violent crimes,
they will have a number of problems the program will address, Alder said.

About 60 percent of those in the prison system are struggling with
addiction, he said. Many of their crimes are directly or indirectly related
to their habits. Many are also "inherently irresponsible" and need training
on how to manage their finances and personal affairs.

"We will be very attentive to the issues of addiction," Alder said. "Deputy
sheriffs here will also serve as case workers for the (prisoners)."

A separate work-release facility will also open later this year for female
prisoners. Attached to the male prison, the facility will hold 70 prisoners
at one time.

Alder said the program will begin in October or November and will fill up
gradually, as Cobb judges remand convicts to the facility.