Work Release Tether Program in Oakland County

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department has a Work Release Tether Program as a sentencing alternative.

The Court must sentence a person to participate in the program.

The Oakland County Sheriff’s Department Work Release Tether Program is a sentencing alternative available to some people convicted of crimes. To be eligible for the program, you must have a non-violent misdemeanor or felony offense, have verifiable employment and transportation, be male or female, and be ordered by the court into the program. You cannot participate in the program with a felony detainer or a hold from another jurisdiction. It is important to note that anyone allowed to participate in the Work Release Program will go to jail first and have the tether attached before being released into the Work Release Program.

What is the best way to persuade a judge to permit a defendant to participate in the Work Release Tether Program in Oakland County?

To persuade a judge to permit a defendant to participate in the Work Release Tether Program in Oakland County, a top criminal defense attorney must emphasize factors like the defendant’s employment status, the nature of their job, their community ties, and the lack of risk they pose to public safety. Highlighting the defendant’s commitment to rehabilitation and their need to support their family can also be persuasive. It’s crucial to show how participation in the program aligns with the goals of justice, rehabilitation, and community safety.

What does verifiable employment mean?

To participate in the program, the Sheriff’s Department Work Release staff will require a letter from the person’s employer before being released from jail. The letter must be on company letterhead containing the company name, street address (no P.O. boxes are allowed), and telephone number. The letter must include the participant’s full name, a brief job description, wage amount, actual workdays including start and end times, and the title and name of the person responsible for the participant’s employment. A work inclusion zone will be established to monitor when the worker arrives and leaves the job.

Costs to Participate in the Work Release Tether Program

An upfront payment of $140.00 (the amount changes periodically) is non-refundable and applied to the first 10 days of the program. The cost is $14.00 after that, paid in advance. There is a possibility that the court may order the person to use a SOBERLINK monitoring unit. If that is the case, the upfront cost is $175.00 (changes periodically), and the daily fee is $17.50. Once on the tether, failure to make payments will result in termination from the program.

Proven Track Record of Success

Generally, Oakland County judges are reluctant to sentence a criminal defendant to work release. Misdemeanor offenses are often of short duration, and judges are unlikely to want to overburden the program with a “short termer.” A judge ordering a sentence on a felony offense is more likely to look at work release as a “slap on the wrist” and not want to give that benefit to a defendant. This is why you need the help of LEWIS & DICKSTEIN, P.L.L.C. Our attorneys have decades of experience in the Oakland County courts and excellent working relationships with the judges, court staff, and prosecutors.

Our attorneys are savvy, poised, and eloquent and, therefore, able to give a well-prepared and thought-out argument to a reluctant judge as to why a sentence to work release is the right decision. If you are in any criminal trouble, you need the best legal help available. You need not take any chances. This is not the time to be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Call the Oakland County criminal defense law firm, LEWIS & DICKSTEIN, P.L.L.C. We will put the full power of our decades of experience, reputation, and preparedness to work for you.

Call us today at (248) 263-6800 for a free consultation or complete an online Request for Assistance Form. We will contact you promptly and find a way to help you.