The Jennings County Jail Division adding another program aimed at giving inmates another tool to use upon re entry into society

A job

The Jennings County Jail Division will be adding yet another program aimed at giving inmates another tool to use upon re entry into society… a job. This will be at no added cost to the taxpayer.

The jail Division will partner with Jackson County based Rose Acre Farms for a work release program. Rose acres will come to the jail every morning and pick up selected inmates to work a full day at the Jennings County farm before being brought back to the jail. Inmates will be paid the normal wage scale Rose Acres pays all of their employees, and will keep 100% of the money earned. The inmates will be actual employees of Rose Acre Farms.

Inmates will be selected based on several factors:
1) They must have been sentenced
2) Not convicted of a violent crime
3) Minimal time left on sentence
4) No disciplinary actions in the jail
5) Approval of Judge and Prosecutor

Rose Acre Vice President Mike McCory, and Jen Acres Complex Manager Mike Hines approached Sheriff Kenny Freeman in January about starting the program in Jennings County. McCory stated that Rose Acres uses prison inmates to work their farm in Iowa with great success, and believes that it will yield the same results here in Jennings County.