To respond to increasing needs for the Sentence to Service (STS) program, Freeborn County is considering an additional crew leader post, possibly shared with Mower County.

Tuesday, November 20, 2001

To respond to increasing needs for the Sentence to Service (STS) program, Freeborn County is considering an additional crew leader post, possibly shared with Mower County.

The STS program provides a community service work alternative to the court system for sentencing offenders. The crew leader supervises the work crew of offenders by planning and scheduling work projects, training crew members, inspecting work and preparing reports.

Freeborn County currently has one crew leader. But due to the increasing numbers of court sentences it has become urgent to facilitate the additional personnel, according to Tom Jensen of Freeborn County Court Services.

Last year from October through December, 36 offenders were in the program – 29 adults and seven juveniles. This year from July through September, the number increased to 52 – 34 adults and 18 juveniles.

Jensen has proposed hiring an additional crew leader jointly with Mower County. With state matching funds available, each county’s annual expenditure would be limited to approximately $15,500, according to Jensen.

The court service calculates that with the new crew leader, Freeborn County can provide STS program participants six to eight more days per month to pursue their work.