The Lake County Detention Center is a 960-bed facility, housing maximum, medium, and minimum custody inmates. There were 12,226 inmates booked in in 2006, with an average daily population of 1,076. The Detention Center not only houses local and state inmates but also Federal inmates, which are subsidized by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Farm

With the help of the Lake County Detention Center Farm Program, the Food Services department kept the cost of feeding inmates low. The price per inmate meal was less than a dollar and is one of the lowest costs per meal in the state. This low cost is due to sound purchasing practices and the operation of the Detention Farm Program.

In 2006, the Farm produced approximately 70,000 pounds of produce. This was not only enough to meet the Detention Center’s demand but was able to supply produce to organizations such as Leesburg’s Food Bank and the Green Isle Children’s Ranch.

Road Crew

The Detention Center operates Road Crews consisting of 3 officers and approximately 15 sentenced inmates at any one time. Our Road Crew puts inmates to work on the county highways picking up litter as well as providing manpower for municipal and charitable organizations. The Road Crew is also called out when severe weather strikes, to help clear roads. This permits the inmates to offset the cost of their housing and gives them a sense of accomplishment that will aid their reentry into society.

Medical Care

Quality medical, dental, and mental health care are available to all inmates while incarcerated. Inmates are charged $5 for a nurse visit and $10 for a doctor or dentist visit. This medical fee was implemented to help defray the overall rising cost of medical care. In 2006, $52,131.59 in medical fees was collected. However, inmates are never denied medical treatment or dental care due to lack of funds.

Inmate Programs

Inmate programs are offered to assist in the rehabilitation of the inmates, assist them in learning to deal with their problems, and to help prepare them for integration back into society as a productive citizen. Programs are supervised by a Chaplain and the Programs Coordinator. Programs range from bible study, Sunday worship services, Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, parenting classes, Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT®) and crisis counseling.

Juvenile Programs

Incarcerated juveniles attend the ACER (Accountability, Control, Education and Rehabilitation) school program. A certified teacher comes to the facility five days a week to teach basic high school subjects. In 2006, we had 35 juveniles enrolled and 5 that graduated from the program with a G.E.D. This gives young offenders a way to lift themselves out of the criminal justice system and become productive citizens.

It is easy to see why accountability and rehabilitation are the most important goals and how incarceration meets both these needs. When a youthful offender is incarcerated in a structured environment, chances of retraining and redirecting him are at its highest. For the first time, perhaps, the juvenile has order and discipline imposed. Isolated from his peers on the street, neighborhood, and home environment, incarceration is the perfect opportunity for not just a second chance, but possibly a change.

Accountability – Juvenile offenders must be accountable for their crimes in a manner that will discourage repeat offenses.

Control – Juvenile offenders are placed in a secure, controlled environment, which makes incarceration the perfect opportunity for not just a second chance, but possibly a change.

Education – Juvenile offenders receive a formal education each weekday to obtain their high school diploma or G.E.D.

Rehabilitation – Juvenile offenders receive counseling with life-controlling issues to better enable them to enter the mainstream of the community.

Weekend Work Program

For over a decade, the Detention Center has operated the Weekend Work Program, which allows inmates that are sentenced by the courts an alternative to incarceration. Inmates server their sentence on weekends by doing community services (trash pickup, mowing, clearing brush) for the County. This program not only allows inmates to maintain their normal lives, but also save the citizens of Lake County tax dollars.