CLEVELAND, Tenn. -- Bradley County has agreed to provide misdemeanor probation services to Polk County and has approved a plan to build a 128-bed workhouse facility for misdemeanor offenders.
In a recent meeting, the Bradley County Commission voted 14-0 on both measures.
Both initiatives are "win-win" situations, said Rich Kienlen, director of probation for Bradley County.
"It's a good idea," Kienlen said regarding the new probations services deal with Polk County. "They are a neighboring county and we share the same District Attorney's Office."
Bradley County probation officers will take on an estimated 200 to 250 Polk County misdemeanor cases, he said.
Polk County Attorney James Logan praised the agreement and expressed hope that it would evolve into similar agreements across the 10th Judicial District -- which encompasses Bradley, Polk, Monroe and McMinn counties -- and Meigs County in the 9th Judicial District.
The advantage of such agreements is that "we have a uniform method of treatment of people who are on probation and we have the experience and dedication of a group that has shown that it can succeed," said Logan. "We can make a difference in people's lives."
Rich Kienlen, director of the Bradley County Misdemeanor Probation Department, addresses the Bradley County Commission in this file photo.The Polk County agreement will last until June 30, 2016, Kienlen said.
The agreement is expected to be cost-effective for Polk County, who will see collections of misdemeanor fees, he said. Polk County had been using a private company to handle probation services previously.
For Bradley County, the agreement is expected to be "revenue-positive," said Commission Vice Chairman Jeff Yarber.
The workhouse, which is estimated to cost $2.8 million to construct, has been more than two years in the making, said Kienlen.
"Safeguards" had to be in place before the Bradley County Commission would approve the facility's construction, said Commissioner Milan Blake. That included covering the bond payment for building the facility and operational costs associated with running it, he said.
The workhouse will serve as the core piece of a work-release program that will allow offenders to go to jobs during the day, while essentially paying rent to stay at the facility at night.
The 10th Judicial District Attorney's Office has voiced support for such a program.
"It provides a way offenders to pay their debt for their actions," District Attorney Steve Crump said last fall.
The facility will be administered and staffed by the Bradley County Sheriff's Office, but will receive non-violent offender referrals from the misdemeanor probations office, said Kienlen.
"The new workhouse will certainly free up bed space in the county jail, which is at or near capacity most days," said Bradley County Sheriff Eric Watson. "It is our plan for the workhouse to be 'revenue-neutral' and will pay for itself. The new workhouse will be a positive step for the county, to be sure."
No firm date has been scheduled for the workhouse to be constructed and to begin operations, said Blake.
Paul Leach is based inCleveland. Email him at paul.leach.press@gmail.com.