Rhea County Work Release & Workhouse: How the Program Works, Who Employs Inmates, and How Wages Are Used
If you're trying to understand Rhea County's Work Release and "workhouse" status, the big questions are usually the same: Where is my person housed? How do they get placed at a job? What happens to the money they earn? Here's what the program says it provides, plus what you can verify directly with the Sheriff's Department.
Call to verify housing location: If you need to find out which facility a Rhea County inmate is housed in, call the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department at 423-775-7837.
"Workhouse" status has a specific meaning in Rhea County. The Rhea County Jail became a Workhouse in January 2023, and that designation is what allows the facility to send trustee inmates out to work in the community.
The work programs are one piece of a larger picture. Since opening in 2021, the Rhea County Jail has generated more than $11,000,000, primarily through housing juvenile, federal, and state inmates.
Rhea County's Work Release Program covers two practical pieces: the job itself and getting there. The program places incarcerated individuals in job opportunities and provides transportation to and from those jobs.
- Confirm the person is eligible as a trustee: Workhouse status is what enables the facility to send trustee inmates to work in the community.
- Match the person to a job opportunity: The Work Release Program is designed to provide job opportunities for incarcerated individuals while they are still in custody.
- Plan for transportation: Transportation is part of the program, with participants transported to and from work.
Employers
- ✓ Master’s Manufacturing (Dayton, TN): 6 incarcerated individuals
- ✓ TenCate (Dayton, TN): 6 incarcerated individuals
Work release earnings don't work like a normal paycheck. In Rhea County's Work Release Program, wages are deposited into an account that the incarcerated individual receives upon release.
Those wages can also go toward financial responsibilities while the person is still incarcerated. The program states that earnings are used to pay court fines, child support, and other financial obligations.
Reentry goes more smoothly when someone leaves with basic paperwork already in hand. The Work Release Program provides assistance to help incarcerated individuals obtain identification documents, including state IDs and birth certificates.
- ✓ Call the Rhea County Sheriff’s Department at 423-775-7837 to confirm which facility the person is housed in
- ✓ Ask how job opportunities are offered through the Work Release Program
- ✓ Ask how transportation to and from work is handled for participants
Tip: When you call 423-775-7837, ask whether the person has trustee status under the jail’s workhouse authority, and how work release earnings are deposited and applied to fines, child support, or other obligations.
Find an Inmate at Rhea County Jail, TN
Search for a loved one and send messages and photos in minutes.
