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63 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, May 5, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend April 21, 2004 Work center to house women inmates Talent facility may begin receiving female offenders as soon as July, says county Community Justice director Bob Grindstaff By SARAH LEMON Mail Tribune More work opportunities will soon be available for women convicted of crimes in Jackson County. A program at the county’s Community Justice work center near Talent may accommodate female offenders as early as July this year, said Community Justice Director Bob Grindstaff. The center has been remodeled to house 20 women in separate quarters from the 40 or 50 men who work out of the facility. "This will really complete the continuum for services for women," Grindstaff said. The women’s work project began about a year ago, but Grindstaff said he opted to stall plans to move women to the Talent facility until uncertainties about state funding for local corrections were resolved. Female offenders will do work similar to their male counterparts, including maintenance of hiking trails, landscaping and picking up litter. The work center also trains and certifies traffic flaggers for construction sites and operates a fire suppression crew — both options that will be open to women, said work center manager Dale Eller. In addition, Community Justice is aiming to start an industrial sewing group that would manufacture and repair clothing for the fire crews, Eller said. Advertisement Parenting classes will be offered for women who have children, and more visitation with children will be available for mothers than is now offered for men, Grindstaff said. Contact with their children motivates female offenders more so than their male counterparts to succeed in programs, Eller said. Although the number of women supervised in the criminal justice system has grown in recent years, options in probation programs have been limited, Grindstaff said. Of the more than 2,300 criminal offenders on parole or probation in the county, about 600 are women. The county jail reserves 37 of its 235 beds for women. All but one were full Tuesday, jail officials said. Housing women at the work center will alleviate some pressure on the jail, officials said. Start-up and operating costs for the first year will be about $490,000, Grindstaff said. Much of the expense will be associated with hiring female staff to supervise the female offenders 24 hours a day, seven days a week. However, labor contracts the county will gain by having a female work crew will make up some of the expense, he said. Most work center contracts pay between $75,000 to $90,000 each year. For working, offenders are paid a dollar a day, which most spend on commissary items like cigarettes or sodas, Eller said. Reach reporter Sarah Lemon at 776-4487, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times