Community Service

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Work Camp Program

Mission Statement

The Sheboygan County Sheriff’s Department Community Service Program is committed to assisting and providing quality community service workers to eligible organizations in our county, while instilling into our volunteers responsibility, self esteem, and pride in our community.

Benefits

Helps relieve jail overcrowding
Saves County taxpayers money
The community benefits from the work completed
The inmate earns time off of their sentence
Inmates learn responsibility

Program Overview

This program was designed to relieve the Jail/Detention Center of the overcrowded conditions by allowing convicted individuals an opportunity to do supervised community service work in exchange for time off their sentences. Only inmates classified 6 minimum or below will be allowed into program. The Jail/Detention Center will provide bag lunches. Transportation and supervision will be provided by each site they are working at.

Supporting Authority

Wisconsin Statute 973.03 (3) (am) - If a court provides that a defendant may perform community service work pursuant to par a and the defendant is sentenced to probation or imprisonment in a Huber facility under s. 303.09, or if a defendant has been ordered to perform community service work under s.800.09, a county may, with the approval of the chief judge in the county, allow the defendant to perform community service work under {Wis. Stat 973.03 (3)} pars. (b) and (c). The county may determine the rate at which all defendants in the county earn good time, except that a defendant may not earn less than one day of good time for every 3 days of work performed, nor more than one day of good time for each day of work performed. A day of work equals 8 hours of work performed. This good time is in addition to good time authorized under s. 302.43.

Sheboygan County Code 52.12 COUNTY WORK CAMP PROGRAM

Pursuant to the authority granted to the County Board under Wis. Stat. § 303.10(1), there is hereby established a County Work Camp Program for the purpose of providing for the reformation and employment of persons sentenced to the Sheboygan County Jail. The County Work Camp Program shall operate under the following terms and conditions:

The Work Camp Program shall be in the form of a "day camp" in which prisoners may be transported from the Jail in the morning by the Sheriff to the sites and returned to the Jail at the end of the day after work by the Sheriff.
The work sites shall be limited to locations and properties owned by Sheboygan County together with locations and properties of any other public agency in Sheboygan County and other entities exempt from taxation deemed appropriate by the Sheriff, subject to the consent of the Administrators of the work sites.
The Sheriff shall administer the Work Camp Program, including eligibility for participation, length of work day, and staffing level. The Sheriff shall have exclusive discretion with respect to the staffing level to be assigned.
Prisoners assigned to the Work Camp Program shall be on a volunteer basis, without compensation, although the Sheriff may, at his or her discretion, waive the daily fees charged to prisoners pursuant to this Chapter for each day of labor performed.
Prisoners assigned to the Work Camp Program shall not be given sentence credit beyond "good time" credit pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 302.43 unless they are eligible to receive community service credit pursuant to Wis. Stat. § 973.03(3). Pursuant to Wis. Stat 973.03 (3) (am), the sheriff is delegated to set the amount of community service credit to be given in cooperation with the Chief Judge. No prisoner may be denied good time credit for refusing to participate in a work camp program.
The Sheriff shall adhere to the provisions of Wis. Stat. § 303.10 in the operation of the County Work Camp program.

HUBER Inmates

Huber / Work release is necessary for any inmate to work outside of the Jail/Detention Center in the Work Camp Program without jail staff supervision.

Future Uses of the Program

People who are unable to pay a fine

The Community Service Program is also utilized for a person who has been convicted of a forfeiture in which they are given time to pay a fine and the alternative is County Jail time. If they cannot pay the fine, they can work off the alternative on the Work Crew Program. In Sheboygan, the Judges (Circuit Court, Municipal and Village) have agreed that the ratio for jail time to work crew time will be one-half (1/2), i.e.; Ten (10) days County Jail or Five (5) days on the Work Crew. These people will report to our office and we assign them a work site. It is their responsibility to get to and from their job sites. They do NOT spend any time in jail. When they complete their assignment, we notify the court and the file is closed and/or satisfied.

Note: If a person is arrested and put in custody for above commitment of unpaid fines, the Work Crew Officer may take this individual out of custody to work the Work Crew Program to satisfy this commitment from home.

Probation Referrals

On December 7, 1995, Governor Tommy Thompson signed into law Act 96. On December 16, 1995, Act 96 became effective. “This act allows the Department of Corrections (DOC) to order a probation or parole violator to perform community service work for a public agency or a nonprofit charitable organization. The order may apply only if agreed to by the offender and the organization or agency”. The Department of Corrections in Sheboygan will send clients to the Work Crew Program who have committed minor violations of their probation, i.e. missed appointments, first time dirty U.A. tests, moving without telling P.O. etc. When the people complete their work assignment, the P.O. is notified. If they do not complete or if they violate any rule, the P.O. will put them in jail for the number of days they were to serve on the Work Crew. They too will not be credited with any work completed if they are removed before they complete their entire sentence. Jail days saved is the exact number of days the P.O. refers the offender to the program.