Community Service Workers

[Flochief]

Does anyone use community service workers? (You know the ones that have been sentenced to spend x amount of hours doing government work for misdemeanor type crimes)
We use them to clean station, wash trucks, paint hydrants with our personnel and other things.
Thanks,
Glenn

[davjohnson]

We have used "quasi-incarcerated" inmates/probationers in the past and I'm sure we'll use them again doing the same types of jobs you described. They are supervised by probation or correctional personnel. In Delaware, they are probationers who have failed under traditional supervision and are housed in a violation of probation facilty.

[ccfdblehman]

We have had community service workers at our station to do the same kinds of things you mentioned above. Also, at a department I worked part time at, we had an inmate who worked at the station a few days a week. The inmate was picked up from the residential jail facility (it was like an army barracks from what I understand) and we would take him back at the end of the day. The people allowed to do that had to meet a bunch of set qualifications like good behavior, non violent misdemeanor...etc.

Also, our jailer in our county has inmates paint hydrants. We mark what color they should be and the work van with deputies and inmates goes out and paints for us.
It works out really well in my opinion.

[KnightnPBIArmor]

We did up until just before the G-8 Conference on Sea Island back in 2004; they suspended the program due to security concerns during the ramp-up to G-8 and we have just never resumed it.

[firecat1]

You might want to try calling your local court clerk and asking about those who are not jail inmates, but they are drunk drivers or other offenders who have to do the community service thing. A major hotel in Gatlinburg (TN) used them for storm clean up last year.

[kd7fds]

We've had a couple CSW's do some work around the station.

1 was a hard worker, got the job's given him done in a timely fashion.

1 required 100% full time supervision.

The first kid, completed his probation and has not been in trouble again.

The 2nd kid came back within six months (on another charge) wanting to do his community service at the fire station again. We told him no.

[Dickey]

Yes, we have had people work off community service hours and it has seemed to work out ok. So far, we have only had 4 or 5 but they have done all kinds of work around the station. I know 3 of them have stayed out of trouble so far. One kid stole a car and went back to jail, the other was busted selling drugs again.

However, the other 3 have turned their life around. One actually got accepted to the local university for of all things, cullinary arts! Good for him. One actually got married and had a child, working as the manager at a repair shop and the other one got hired on a neighboring city's street department and just bought a house.

I think the program works as long as it is run right with the proper supervision. I denied one kid who I just didn't feel right about and a neighboring department took him in. He ended up breaking into the candy machine and pop machine to get money and snacks. He also trashed the bathrooms.

[BKDRAFT]

With the anal micromanaging Captains around this area it wouldn't work for us. We would have to go back when they left and redo all of the work.:p