Alternative Programs

The Sheriff’s Office provides work opportunities and employment training for inmates to aid in their rehabilitation. Inmates assigned to full-time workforce positions are compensated by payment, other privileges (approved by the Director of Corrections), or under certain sentence guidelines, credited days off their sentence. The Inmate work programs allow inmates to gain meaningful experience and marketable vocational skills to strengthen their work ethic and self-esteem which are necessary for returning to the community.

Inmates who are interested in workforce programs are screened by their Case Manager through an application process. To be considered for positions, they must satisfactorily complete the application process and qualify based on set criteria. Final placements are decided by a workforce committee that consists of the Workforce Coordinator, Case Manager, and a Deputy. Inmate Workers must adhere to the rules of conduct, violations are grounds for automatic dismissal.

Inmate Workforce Programs: 

• Develops Vocational Skills & Work Ethic
• Improves Mental Health
• Assists Inmates with Paying Court Fines/Fees
• Develops Self-Esteem & Self Efficacy
• Decreases Recidivism
• Improves Social Reintegration back into the Community

Examples of the Sheriff’s Office Workforce Program

Detention Facility Workforce

The Detention Facility Workforce Program consists of full-time and part-time employment opportunities to include:

• Meal services
• Custodial maintenance
• Laundry Assistant
• Commissary Assistant
• Law Library Assistant
• Hair Care Assistant
• Housing Unit:  Laundry, Food Service, and Custodial Maintenance positions
• Education Assistant
• Religious Programs Assistant
• Kitchen Worker

Alternative Programs 

The Inmate Work Program (IWP) employs non- violent, low-risk inmates to work on crews inside and outside the facility.  Full time and part-time employment opportunities include but are not limited to:

• Community Clean-Up Projects
• Snow Removal
• Painting
• Collecting Recycling Inside & Outside the facility
• Delivering Print Shop Orders
• Detention Facility Clean Up
• Landscaping
• Special Projects
•  Preparation for County Events

Community Service Program 

This program is available seven days a week, is a testament to the strong bond and mutual respect between the sheriff's office and the community. The Community Service Program, which utilizes facilities owned and maintained by Arlington County and its affiliates, reflects the community's integral role in the program's success. The facilities, operated by the county, also contribute to the program's efficiency and cost-effectiveness by providing free labor.

Work Release Program 

The Sheriff’s Office Work Release program provides intensive community-based supervision on the job site for qualifying in-custody inmates. Inmates interested in this program must go through an application process and meet strict criteria. The Sheriff's Office Work Release has rigorous application process and strict criteria. This program provides intensive community-based supervision for qualifying in-custody inmates while they are at their job sites. Participants are allowed to gain work experience during the day and must return to the detention facility at night. This program allows participants to gain outside work-experience during the day, while returning to the detention facility at night. 

Electronic Home Detention

The Electronic Home Detention Program is an alternative to incarceration within the ACPF. It allows inmates to serve their sentence at their residence instead of in the ACDF. The program not only saves costs for the country but also benefits the community as a whole. Clients in this program are low-risk offenders are afforded the opportunity to maintain employment and continue their education. This helps offenders and are afforded the opportunity to maintain employment and continue their education. This helps families stay together instead of being separated by standard confinement. The program ensures compliance with GPS technology and requires weekly meetings to confirm that clients are drug- and alcohol free. Additionally, the program can be tailored to individual client needs to facilitate a smoother reintroduction into the community. 

Inmate Work Program (IWP)

This program utilizes low-risk inmates to perform low-intensity work both inside and outside the Arlington Detention Facility. The county benefits from cost savings on labor, while the inmates have the opportunity to earn money, learn valuable skills, and gain work experience that can be used after their release from custody. 

Pretrial (In addition to the BHD-)

This program is dedicated to its mission of monitoring defendants released from jail custody under court or magistrate orders. The program provides individuals with the necessary support an resources to avoid criminal behavior while awaiting their case adjunction.