Bradley County Sheriff Jim RuthWORKHOUSE COMMITTEE• Bradley County Commission Chairman Louie Alford; Finance Chairman Ed Elkins and Law Enforcement Chairman Brian Smith• Grand jury foreman Alvin Word and grand jury member Tacia Green• Rich Kienlen, director of misdemeanor probation for Bradley County• Maj. Jon Collins, Bradley County Sheriff’s Office• State House Judiciary Committee Chairman Eric Watson, R-Cleveland, will serve in an ex officio capacity
CLEVELAND, Tenn. – The Bradley County Commission recently created a committee to explore setting up a workhouse program as alternative sentencing for misdemeanor offenders.
Earlier this month, county commissioners and judicial officials discussed the costs and benefits of a semipermanent, 128-bed facility to house work-release inmates. The inmates leave for work during the day and return at night. Participating inmates essentially pay room and board during their stays.
As long as the workhouse program makes a profit, it would benefit the county and eligible offenders, supporters said.
“It’s a cash generator,” Monte Alsup, a representative for Proteus, said at the meeting earlier this month. Proteus provides on-demand facilities for flexible correctional needs.