BRUNSWICK, Ga. (AP) - A newly-elected sheriff in coastal Georgia is putting idle inmates to work.
Inmate work details in Glynn County will pick up trash, clean the football stadium and remove mildew from the walls of county buildings, said Sheriff Neal Jump.
The Florida Times-Union reports Jump — who took office Jan. 1 — outlined the plan during a meeting this week with the county commission.
"I'm tired of seeing them sitting around watching TV, sitting around drinking coffee and sitting around playing cards," Jump said.
The program marks the first time county inmates will be allowed to work outside the detention center.
County Commissioner Richard Strickland praised Jump for starting the program, "We've needed this for a long time," he said.
Inmates in the work detail program will be exposed to public view and will be less likely to get arrested again after their sentences are served, Jump said, adding that being seen by the public will embarrass them.
Despite being publically embarrassed, Jump said rewards may be in store for hard-working inmates.
"I'll give them a month off their sentences if the judge agrees," he said. On the other hand, inmates who try fleeing the program could face a felony conviction and a minimum five-year prison sentence, he said. Sheriff's deputies will guard a maximum of five inmates during the work details.
There are about 400 inmates at the Glynn County Detention Center, but only those who have been convicted of misdemeanors are eligible for the program.
