By San Diego Attorney on August 30, California implemented work release and work furlough programs as alternative sentencing options to help reduce overcrowding in correctional facilities.
These options allow eligible convicted individuals to serve their sentences while working to earn income. Qualifications may vary from one county to another. Work furlough is a type of California program in which eligible inmates serving a sentence in jail are permitted to leave the facility to work during the day.
They are required to return to confinement immediately after the workday is over. It is not the same as a work release program in which inmates are allowed to go to their homes after work hours instead of being confined in a state facility.
Not every inmate is eligible for a work furlough program. To qualify, an inmate must meet the following criteria:. Under this statute, inmates may be excluded from work furlough programs if they have been convicted of arson, sex crimes, drug use, or sales or have more than one violent crime conviction.
The legislature found that overcrowding in correctional institutions is not a desirable method of housing inmates. Instead, more suitable and less costly housing should be developed for appropriate state inmates.
