NCJ Number
168828
Journal
American Jails Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: March/April 1996 Pages: 37-41
Date Published
1996
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The Positive Production Program of the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office (Texas) combines military discipline, education, and paid, productive work in an approach that is popular with the community and public officials.
Abstract
"Members," as Positive Production inmates are called, wear uniforms, take and give orders, undergo inspections, and, in general, act like soldiers. The military emphasis was originally the inmates' idea. All new members now begin the program at Level One with a 10-week boot camp. The boot camp experience is the foundation for the educational and work elements of the program. After the 10-week boot camp emphasis on drill, physical training, and blind obedience, education and paid, productive work become the featured program activities. All features of the educational and work experience are designed to prepare members for a productive life after release. Early in the program members take classes in anger management, communication, building self-esteem, decisionmaking, vocabulary, spelling, and writing. Later they receive hands-on training in skills such as auto repairing and paint and body work. After their 8-hour work day, members attend classes in parenting techniques, building family relationships, and financial management. After members have been working for 8 to 10 weeks, the education program begins to prepare them for work release. Members learn resume writing, interviewing and job search techniques, and attitudes necessary for job success. Profitmaking inmate businesses started small, selling products first to officers, expanding to the general public, and then rolling over profits to pay for capital equipment, supplies, education, and training. The program is self-supporting. Level Four, the work release level, normally lasts about 26 weeks and includes community service work as well as regular work responsibilities in such jobs as maintenance workers, carpet layers, waitresses, bricklayers, woodshop workers, and maids. Since November of 1993, work release members have contributed over $200,000 to the jail. The program has proven to be cost- effective, but it is too early to tell whether it significantly reduces recidivism. The article concludes with a discussion of the politics of jail industries competing with private businesses. 7 references