By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — Jerrad Jones said he views his role as the Kosciusko County Work Release director as “a way of giving back.”

Jones became director at the start of 2023 with the beginning of Kosciusko County Sheriff Jim Smith’s administration. He previously worked for approximately 15 years in the Kosciusko County Jail before becoming one of work release’s assistant directors in 2021.

Initially, Jones didn’t plan on working in law enforcement. He obtained his bachelor’s degree in business from Muskingum College in Ohio.

Jerrad Jones

“I went out into the business world, and I didn’t really enjoy it that much,” said Jones.

Being “a sports guy,” as he put it, Jones liked “team camaraderie.” He said he found that by becoming a correctional officer at the KCJ in 2006.

Jones worked his way up the ranks at the jail, becoming a corporal and then sergeant.

He was motivated to move to work release due to wanting “a change of pace,” mentioning being a correctional officer is emotionally trying.

“The jail can be a very negative environment to say the least,” he said. “Coming out to work release, it’s a much lighter atmosphere, and it’s been really good for my career honestly just even as an assistant director. It was a chance to help people.”

“In work release specifically, it’s an opportunity to help give direction to folks that have obviously made wayward decisions,” added Jones.

To get out to work release, individuals must first be approved for such through the court system. If OK’d, people must then pass additional screening done by work release.

“That’s part of the assistant director’s job is they run the criminal history and get the background check on each individual,” said Jones. “We look at the charges that they’re currently charged with and just kind of decide.”

“Obviously it’s a lot different environment than the jail, and we don’t want extremely violent people out here at work release,” explained Jones. “We don’t have the staff for it, and it just causes too many problems. We deny a lot of folks that have been approved through the courts to come out here, just based on their criminal history or jail behavior.”

Jones said he and staff are trying to get as many people as they can into work release though.

“The staff out here and I have made really big strides as far as getting more people out here, and I’m really proud of the fact that we’ve done that,” he said. “The staff does a great job out here, and I’m really proud of the work that they do.”

“It’s always a fine line between helping, but still holding people accountable out here, so to me, it’s just a different environment than the jail,” Jones continued. “You can actually help people a lot more, but I’m really proud of the fact that we got our numbers back up. We’re holding people accountable and just doing a good job of adding structure to some of these folks’ lives.”

That structure includes church and programs like Celebrate Recovery, Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous available to those at work release. The same mental health counselor who visits the jail also goes out to work release.

“We really encourage folks when they get out here to be able to be released from the criminal system with their feet underneath them so that they can hit the ground running,” said Jones. “That’s one of our goals is to reduce recidivism and add structure to their lives, and hopefully they won’t make the same mistakes that landed them incarcerated to begin with.”

Jones is married to Court Appointed Special Advocates of Kosciusko County Executive Director Erin Rowland Jones.