|
|
The success of the development of Alternative Sentencing Programs in Kennebec County can be measured in the thousands of dollars saved in boarding costs, to the recidivism rate decreasing from 33% to 6% in six years, to the thousands of dollars of free labor provided to schools and nonprofit organizations by inmates.
The Kennebec County Sheriff's Office developed the following Alternative Sentencing Programs:
Kennebec County offers an alternative to criminal prosecution for first-time teenage offenders through a program called Thumbs-Up.
Who Qualifies?
 Youths aged 13 to 17, accused of a first-time crime, are eligible to participate in Thumbs-Up, which provides an opportunity to reinforce self-esteem while emphasizing the use of decision-making tools that may help keep them out of trouble.
The program is for youngsters who realize they have made a mistake and want to avoid similar errors in the future.
Teens voluntarily enter the 48-hour session. If they have committed a crime, they must agree to provide restitution. In addition, parents must agree to participate in a two-hour final wrap-up. Upon successful completion of all required activities, any criminal charges are dropped.
The Kennebec County Sheriff's Office conducts the Thumbs-Up Program four times a year. This program attempts to address a variety of juvenile issues including, substance abuse, deviant behavior and truancy. The program is conducted over a weekend and serves as both a consequence and as an educational tool to assist youth with their future decisions.
For more information on Thumbs-Up contact:
Dep. Scott Cyrway at (207) 623-3614 x202
Thumbs Up Program Events
[top]
The Alternative Sentencing Program for first time OUI offenders was first established in 1986. The program was created for an alternate sentencing of first time offenders that were charged with operating under the influence. Currently, judges will sentence first time offenders who have tested a .15 or over to this program. There have been some exceptions to this standard due to the great success of the program. A few Judges in Kennebec County will sentence individuals that have tested below this level to the program so they will obtain the information from the program.
From August 1986 through December 2000, Kennebec County Sheriff's Office has processed three thousand and eleven individuals. The Program is conducted four times each year at a school or non-profit camp in Kennebec County. The program is seventy-two hours long and is held on a weekend. During this weekend the individuals are required to complete sixteen hours of community service and eight hours of education. During the sixteen hours of community service, the individuals are given work details to complete at the hosting site. This work includes, but not limited to, painting, cleaning, carpentry work, and outdoors clean-up. During the eight hours of education, the individuals will receive information provided by guest speakers from, Law Enforcement, District Attorney's Office, and Substance Abuse.
The benefits of the program are that the individual will not complete their sentence at the Correctional Facility, will give back to their community, will be exposed to information on issues surrounding OUI to make better decisions in the future, and will assist in not increasing the Correctional Facility population.
OUI Program Events
[top]
Other inmate services include:Medical, Mental Health, Work Release, Trusty Status (inside and outside), Community Service, Furloughs, and Public Works Project.
Other Inmate Services Program Events
[top]
For more information on the Kennebec County Sheriff's Office Programs contact:
Erica Patterson, Programs Director at (207) 623-2270 x241 |
|
