Work Furlough
Individuals on Work Furlough (WF) are probationers who are in custody at the Yuma County Detention Center as a term of probation. The purpose of Work Furlough is to allow probationers who are incarcerated to maintain employment and/or attend school. When a probationer is first accepted into the program, they are given two weeks to obtain employment. They are strictly monitored and required to turn in a completed job search form at the end of each day when reporting back to the jail. Once they have obtained employment, the probation officer contacts their employer and outlines the restrictions of the program. Failure to adhere to the guidelines results in immediate dismissal from the program.
When Work Furlough was first designed, it was believed that the program would average between twenty and twenty-five participants; however, it averages between thirty-five and forty participants at any given time. This increase is primarily due to judges and the County Attorney's office finding that in many instances allowing the probationer to be released to work is preferable to flat-time incarceration. This alternative allows probationers to be held accountable, while paying taxes, restitution to victims, and supporting their families.
Once employed, Work Furlough participants are required to surrender all their earnings to the Probation Dept. They are assessed a daily fee equal to one hour of their earned wages per day. Court-ordered assessments, with restitution being the priority are deducted from their paychecks.