Work it off, pay fines or go to jail.
Now in Attala County judges can give offenders a choice or a combination of the three consequences when they are sentenced for an offense. Supervisors unanimously approved the program during their meeting Monday morning at the board room inside the Attala County Chancery Court Building.
“The city (Kosciusko) has had a program for nearly 20 years and it has worked extremely well,” said county attorney Scott Pickle, who also serves as the municipal court judge for the city of Kosciusko. “Things are a little different now without the jail here, so we would not want to use this program for prisoners locked up. Since the move the city has used the work program for those who cannot afford to pay off their fine.”
The Sheriff’s Office will have to provide oversight for the program participants that will have to show up for eight-hour work days. They will receive minimum wage credit that will go towards paying off their fines. A person will be able to volunteer for the program, but can be ordered to the program by a judge for failure to pay fines.
“We cannot send someone to jail for not paying a fine, but we can order them to a work program for failure to pay and then lock them up for not working,” Pickle added. “That is their incentive for them to show up and work.”
According to supervisors, the county already has an employee that is certified to oversee the program, so the cost of the program would be very limited. The only cost would be the possibility of a van to transport those participating in the program.
