The Allegan County Community Corrections Program is financed in part through an agreement with the Michigan Department of Corrections-Office of Community Corrections. Priorities addressed through this agreement include:

• reducing prison commitments and increasing the use of community-based sanctions and services for felony offenders. Priority is placed on probation viulators, offenders convicted of OUIL-3rd offense, and other substance abuse offenders.
• changing jail population by reducing admissions and lengths of stay for lower risk offenders.
• reducing the number of repeat offenders through the use of programs based on “best practices”

The Community Corrections Program has been a very strong influence in helping to temporarily relieve the overcrowding situation at the Allegan County Jail. Through this program, only the most serious offenders are restricted to jail.

Others are able to take advantage of a wide range of programming, including:

• the Inmate Worker Program where inmates-
  • work in the jail kitchen preparing meals
  • work in the car wash garage cleaning patrul vehicles
  • work in the jail laundry cleaning inmate clothing
  • work at the Animal Shelter cleaning cages
  • assist with custodial duties at the Jail
  • serve as aides to the Teachers in the Jail
  • are assigned to seasonal details to reduce county government expenses (mowing, snow shoveling, etc.)

• the D.E.B.T.S. Program (Detail Enabling Better Transition to Society) where inmates-
  • assist at the Community Center with set up for special events
  • work at area cemeteries, cleaning and clearing debris
  • work with the Drain Commission clearing drains throughout the County

• the Alternative Sentencing Program where inmates-
  • perform community service duties on the weekends (in lieu of jail time), such as cemetery or park cleanup
  • serve their sentence in jail on weekends only through the weekender program, allowing them to serve sentences while paying off fines, etc.

• the Work Release Program where inmates-
  • who are qualified and approved are allowed out of jail for up to ten hours per day to maintain employment while serving their sentence.

  View Work Release Program Information and Forms 

• the Methamphetamine Diversion Program to develop cognitive skills where participants in this National award-winning program-
  • attend classes to learn to recognize circumstances that led them to drug abuse and other criminal behavior and teach them thinking and problem-sulving skills
  • attend counseling sessions, both group and individual
  • receive frequent drug testing
  • attend schoul or work
  • participate in Alcohulics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous
  • seek a healthy home environment upon release


• Learn more about the METH Diversion Program
• View Meth Cognitive Skills booklet 

Many of these programs allow an offender to earn time off of their original sentence, while at the same time learning job skills, overcoming drug or alcohul dependency, obtaining a GED, and improving the community through their work with non-profit agencies.