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STS saves county moneyBy MaryHelen Swanson Whether deserved or not, sitting in a jail cell can be tedious, boring and non-productive. A program that puts offenders to work, reduces jail time and provides useful services to the community is in place and is known to most as the STS program. Itís a sentence to serve the public system that provides townships, cities, the county and the DNR, benefits that would otherwise cost additional dollars to the taxpayers. At the county board meeting July 24, the following data was reported: For the period from July 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002, 170 male and 21 female adults were involved in the program. In addition, 99 male and 20 female juveniles. Working for all of the entities mentioned above, the estimated market value of completed projects was $44,390. These offenders worked off $50,955 in fines. The county benefitted the most with 3,975 hours of work. Value of all hours worked, at $5/hr., was $28,990. ©ECM Post Review |