Can Your Loved One Join the Inmate Work Force at Roanoke County?

Roanoke County’s Inmate Work Force is a crew that takes on practical maintenance and grounds work at county locations. In the warmer months, that often means a lot of outdoor work - especially mowing and landscaping - across multiple sites. Work assignments can include county properties such as Camp Roanoke, county libraries, fire stations, the Fleet Center, and several public parks. The idea is straightforward: a supervised crew completes the kind of ongoing upkeep these public spaces need, from routine grounds maintenance to other assigned tasks as they come up.

Not everyone at the jail can join the Work Force. Roanoke County describes the crew as “highly screened and selected,” and participants have to meet strict criteria before they’re considered. That screening is there for a reason: Work Force assignments take place out on county sites, so the program is built around choosing people who fit the program’s requirements and can be safely managed as part of a work crew.

Roanoke County also identifies an “optimal candidate” profile: sentenced inmates who are guilty of misdemeanors and are permitted to receive judicial good time from the sentencing court. If your loved one fits that category, they may be the type of person the program is designed to prioritize - alongside meeting the program’s other screening criteria.

The program includes both training and close supervision. Roanoke County Parks and Recreation provides training on the equipment the crew uses, so participants aren’t simply handed tools and expected to figure it out. While the crew is working, they’re supervised by a Deputy Sheriff who is specifically assigned to manage the Work Force. That dedicated supervision is a core part of how the program operates day to day.

1. Plan for a weekday schedule - The Work Force typically works Monday through Friday.
2. Expect the hours to shift - Working hours may vary depending on the specific assignment.
3. Don’t count on weekends or holidays - The crew does not work weekends or holidays.
4. Know there can be “on-call” exceptions - Even without regular weekend/holiday shifts, the crew may be on-call for unique situations like snowfall or storm clean-up.

For sentenced misdemeanants eligible for judicial good time, there's a real upside. By working in the program, participants can reduce their sentence - the county puts it as having

The county gets something out of it too. The Work Force maintains properties across Roanoke County - Camp Roanoke, libraries, fire stations, the Fleet Center, and parks - at no labor cost. When participants earn time off their sentence, the county saves on housing and feeding costs. It's a practical arrangement for both sides.