CORRECTION PROGRAM ALLOWS CRIMINALS TO STAY AT HOME

A person who pleads or is found guilty and sentenced for a felony offense
in Sumner County does not always end up serving that sentence in jail, and
that can be a big break to the taxpayers. Many times, a defendant in a
non-violent crime will be sentenced to a certain amount of time to be
served on community corrections. It means the person is not incarcerated,
but can remain in the community, hopefully gainfully employed, while being
monitored closely for compliance with the orders of the court.

Stacy Weaks, director of the Gallatin Community Corrections office, a
function of Mid Cumberland Human Resource Agency, says the program is a
rigorous one with both incentives for good behavior, and timely punishment
for violating the terms of their agreement with the court and the agency.

"We have three officers in this office each with an active caseload of
25-30 people," Weaks said. "We may easily have that many more inactive
cases - those who are in jail or on warrant status."

The good news for the taxpayers, who ultimately foot the bill, is that the
average cost to keep someone in the penitentiary for a year is $20,075.
That same person monitored on community corrections will cost just $1,642.

Weaks, who has a degree in criminal justice, has been in the Gallatin
office for about five years. She says working with those convicted of a
crime can be frustrating, but also rewarding.

"The best thing about the work is when I can actually help people." Weaks
said. "Our success rate is not high - it's a difficult program - but we can
often get help for people with alcohol and/or drug problems. We can help
them find jobs, obtain food stamps or get a GED. For those who are really
motivated to turn their lives around, we can be a valuable resource."

The program is structured in three levels, each designed to last one year.
On level one, house arrest, the person is expected to be at home unless
they are in church, in school or working. And even those activities have to
be approved and monitored by the case worker. If a person is not involved
in one of their approved activities, they are expected to be at home.
Running out to a store or to buy groceries without notifying their case
worker could result in a probation violation warrant being issued, and
possible reincarceration. Reporting regularly to the community corrections
office is an important part of the requirements. Level one participants are
expected to report twice a week, and they have to be able to show proof of
employment, show they are doing their community service work of 16 hours a
month, and critically important, must be able to pass random drug screens.

Although the guidelines are strict, the successful person is receiving
day-for-day jail credit while on community corrections. Every day they are
able to stay on the program without violating probation, is one day off
their jail sentence.

The taxpayers are not footing the entire bill for this program. Although
most of the funding comes from the Department of Corrections and from
grants through MACHRA, participants must contribute a $45 monthly
supervision fee. Failure to do so can be another ticket back to jail.

After three successful months on Level One, participants are graduated to
Level Two which is the same as Level One except that they have to report to
the office just once a week and are given a three-hour pass each week. But
even the pass comes with conditions - 9 p.m. in the cutoff curfew time.

Level Three means a 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. curfew, and it's valid seven days a week.

Level Four is the final step in community corrections. Curfew is extended
to 9 p.m., but payment of fees and clean drug screens are still mandatory.

Weaks said that a person who is able to complete Level One successfully has
a greater chance of completing the entire year than someone who violates
relatively soon.

Weaks, just as most of the corrections officers, is quick to answer when
asked what the worst part of the job is - "Doing the drug screens. "This
program is as hard as a person chooses to make it," Weaks said. "If they
can stick to the regulations they can do really well. It's discouraging
sometimes to see people who are not able to advance and complete the
program, but then, it can be really rewarding. It would be nice if we had
more resources to make available to people, especially for drug and alcohol
treatment, but if we have a person who is committed to making a change, we
will help them in every way we can."