Buchanan County Sheriff Mike Strong
Buchanan County officials say a new program that lets jail inmates do community service work is off to a very good start. Sheriff Mike Strong says it’s only for non-violent offenders.
The Public Service Work Program started two months ago as a way to reduce overcrowding at the jail. State law allows inmates who do community service to trim sentences by up to 25 percent.
The four-person cleanup team has picked up 714 large bags of trash, 61 large bags of aluminum cans, six tons of scrap metal, 318 tires, and eight tons of dead fish from the shores of Lake Contrary.