Tarrant County Labor Detail Program
What is the Labor Detail Program?
The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Labor Detail Program is an alternative to jail program. The Judge in a case has the authority to allow a convicted individual to work off their sentence on the Tarrant County Labor Detail Program instead of serving their sentence in jail. The conviction must be for Tarrant County Jail time, either working off the time of a jail sentence or days in jail as a condition of probation. In the Labor Detail Program, an individual does not go to jail but reports to the program at least one time a week to work off their sentence. The benefit of Labor Detail is that an individual does not go to jail!
What type work will an individual complete on Tarrant County Labor Detail Program?
Various community and county projects are available on the Labor Detail Program. Examples of assignments include but not limited to:
- Cleaning up the common areas of the jail
- Picking up outside around the County Courthouses
- Working at the recycling center
- Washing county vehicles
- Cleaning up parks
- Working with non-profit organizations and government agencies in the area. Organizations include State, County or Municipal Agencies as well as non-profit agencies, charities, Independent School Districts, neighborhood associations, churches and fellowships.
Labor assignments
- Low risk misdemeanor and felony participants may be assigned to any kind of work
- High risk misdemeanor and felony participants shall be assigned to work on road or cemetery clean up crews or at the labor detail facility. They will not be assigned to schools or other locations where children are present.
- Sex offenders with pending cases or convictions will only be assigned to work at the labor detail facility
- Participants who are unable to perform physical labor may be assigned to the recycling center or to non-physical details at the labor detail facility on a case by case basis.
Will participants receive good conduct time and credit for time already served?
Yes, participants will receive good conduct time! The Labor Detail Program credits good time as 2 days credit for each day of work. This means that if an individual is sentenced to 30 days, the individual will attend Labor Detail 15 times! Credit for prior time spent in jail for the sentenced case is not given unless the number of days is verified by the court and forwarded to Labor Detail. Credit for time served days verified by the court will be credited on a day for day basis. Start with the original sentence days, subtract credit time served days and divide by two. Round up if it is an odd number and that is the amount of days an individual must serve on labor detail.
Labor Detail Program as a condition of probation and probation violation
- Condition of probation is served day for day
- Probationers ordered to do labor detail as a result of a probation violation shall serve their time based upon hours and not days. The number of hour ordered by a Court shall be in 8 hour increments. The completion of one day of Labor Detail equals 8 hours. If a Court orders you to do 16 hours of labor detail you will have to complete two days of the Labor Detail program.
Can participants work off money owed to the court on Labor Detail?
Money is served on Labor Detail after the original sentence is completed. The Judge must approve the individual to work off money owed to the court on Labor Detail. Money is served on the labor detail program at the following rate:
- $.01 to $100.00 = 1 day
- $100.01 to $200.00 = 2 days
- $200.01 to $300.00 = 3 days, etc.
When is Labor Detail open?
- Labor Detail is open every day excluding holidays
- The program begins at 7:30 a.m. and ends by 5:00 p.m.
- Participants will receive a lunch break but you must bring your own lunch
What are the rules of Labor Detail?
Individual Judges may have conditions that must be met before they will allow participation in Tarrant County Labor Detail Program. For example, if someone is charged with DWI the Judge may require completing the DWI Education Program and a substance abuse evaluation among other items before allowing Labor Detail. If a person violates a rule of Labor Detail and is removed from the program then the remaining sentence will be served in jail. The general rules for labor detail can be found on the Sheriff Department's website here.
If you have been arrested you need to hire an experienced criminal defense attorney! Please call The Dameron Law Firm at 817-222-0624 to discuss your legal situation.