SHERIFF’S WORK RELEASE (Male/Female)

The Lake County Sheriff’s Work Release Program was established to help reduce the population of the Lake County Jail and offset the cost of incarceration by placing non-violent, low-risk offenders in a secured work release facility. The Sheriff’s Work Release focuses on maximum supervision and accountability of residents that are employed, and a high standard of discipline and security for residents when in the Work Release facility.

Low-risk, non-violent offenders sentenced to the Lake County Jail and deemed eligible for work release by the sentencing judiciary are eligible for participation in the Sheriff’s Work Release Program. Residents should have demonstrated ties to family and local community. The Sheriff’s Work Release targets misdemeanant offenders, but will accept felon offenders if ordered by the judiciary, and space is available.

Sheriff’s Work Release Program

The Sheriffs Work Release Program is approaching the sixth (6) year of operation. Since its opening, SWR has gone from a 15 bed facility to the present day 150 beds for males and 25 beds for females) totaling 175 beds. The number of beds available makes Lake County's SWR one of the largest alternative correctional facilities in Indiana.

Over the years of its existence, the program has injected hundreds of thousands of dollars into the County's General Fund. These deposits are a product of the SWR Fair Share Program, which involves employed inmates. The participants in "Fair Share" pay 25% of their gross income while housed at the facility.
The Unit maintains on site, anger management and substance abuse programs with a clinical out patient counseling service. These services are offered to all inmates on a voluntary or court ordered basis.

The criteria for potential program candidates is as follows:

• Candidates should be D Felony or Misdemeanant Offenders
• Candidate must be employed or employable
• Candidate must have valid transportation to and from employment
• Candidate must have strong family ties to the community
• Sex Offenders are not acceptable
• Violent Offenders are not acceptable
• Repeated Offenders are not acceptable
• Actual time to service can be no less than 30 days and no more than one (1) year

Under Indiana Status, the Lake County Sheriff's Work Release Program is defined as an alternative to incarceration. The staff of the SWR are responsible for monitoring the individuals sentenced to this program. It is the responsibility of the sentencing judiciary to determine a candidate’s eligibility by using the criteria previously listed. The Lake County Sheriffs Work Release Unit has been an extremely successful program. The success of this program is due largely to the appropriate placement of new candidates to SWR.