Legal Definitions - work furlough

A work furlough is a structured program that allows incarcerated individuals, typically those nearing the end of their sentence, to temporarily leave a correctional facility during the day to engage in paid employment within the community. Participants are required to return to custody at the end of their workday. This program aims to facilitate rehabilitation, help inmates develop job skills, and ease their transition back into society.

Here are some examples:

• Example 1: Maria, who is serving the final year of her sentence for a non-violent offense, participates in a work furlough program. Each weekday, she leaves the correctional facility in the morning to work as a data entry clerk at a local office and returns to the facility in the evening.

  Explanation: This illustrates a work furlough because Maria is an inmate temporarily released during the day for community employment, returning to custody afterward. The program helps her gain work experience and prepare for full release.

• Example 2: John, an inmate with carpentry skills, is approved for a work furlough to assist a local non-profit organization in renovating a community center. He spends his weekdays on the construction site, contributing his labor, and returns to the prison each night.

  Explanation: This demonstrates a work furlough as John, while still incarcerated, is permitted to leave the facility daily to perform a job in the community, utilizing his skills for a productive purpose before returning to detention.

• Example 3: David is on work furlough, employed at a manufacturing plant. A portion of his earnings is automatically deducted to pay restitution to victims of his crime, while another part goes towards his living expenses upon release. He reports back to the correctional facility at the end of his shift.

  Explanation: This example highlights how a work furlough enables an inmate to work in the community, fulfilling financial obligations like restitution and saving for their future, all while remaining under correctional supervision by returning to the facility daily.