Craig Daily Press

Craig — It’s not touchy-feely. It’s what works better for everybody, Moffat County Sheriff Tim Jantz said.

Jantz is referring to the the start of an inmate rewards program at the Moffat County Public Safety Center. Jantz said the program, so far, has been a success.

The program works like this:

If inmates demonstrate model behavior during a month, they can select a movie to rent and eat pizza while they watch, Jantz said. The movie and pizza are paid for out of the Inmate Welfare Fund, which is generated by commissary sales within the jail.

Inmates responded, and some who blew off the reward the first time have started to come around, Jantz said. All credit for that program belongs to Lt. Dean Herndon, who came up with the idea, Jantz added.

“It makes them take ownership of what they do,” Herndon said.

Jantz said he encourages everyone working at the Safety Center to think of other ways they can use positive reinforcement with the inmates, he said.

“It works in conjunction with corrective actions,” the sheriff said. “We can only do so much corrective behavior” such as cell confinement.

Inmates don’t respond to punishment after a certain point, Jantz said. Combining positive reinforcement for good behavior is a better approach.

Safety Center personnel also encourage inmates to work outside the facility. Those who show they can be trusted are let out of the facility to work around town at places such as the cemetery, Sunset Meadows and the American Legion.

A local church also started a program for female inmates to crochet clothing and blankets, Jantz said.

“We have a female inmate that was a problem,” he said. “Since this program started, she has become a working inmate. Other girls in here said that in the years they’d known her, they’d never seen her smile.”

Now she smiles and laughs while crocheting blankets for a local church or during the movie and pizza time, Jantz said.

The Moffat County Commis­sion, at the Safety Center on Wednesday for its annual walkthrough, supports the program.

“Tim, my hat’s off to you, because both of these are great programs,” Commissioner Tom Mathers said. “This benefits everybody.”

During the tour, Safety Center officials informed the Commission about maintenance issues around the facility, including problems with leaky water pipes hidden behind mortared walls without any access paths.

Rooftop heating and air conditioning units also need scheduled replacing, and officials would like put in some sound-dampening measures, such as carpeting and foam blocks on the walls, so the rooms don’t echo to the point no one can hear anyone else.

The Commission lamented the Safety Center’s construction.

“Before the hospital builds their new building, they should tour this building for what not to do,” Mathers said.

Jantz also proposed construction projects he said would help with the Safety Center’s longevity. One project would relocate library space within the jail so the facility could better handle inmates.

The extra space could hold male or female inmates when current spaces for them are full and could help officials segregate inmates to guard against potential problems.

“Once these guys find out a sex offender is in here, especially one against a child, they beat them,” Herndon said.

That incurs medical and legal costs the county likely will not be reimbursed for, Herndon added.

Jantz thanked the Commis­sion for approving two full-time positions for the jail’s master control, which moves inmates and coordinates their daily activities. The Commission did that without solicitation from Safety Center officials, he added.

“We have to work as a team concept with the community and other agencies,” Jantz said. “If I put a lot of pressure on them for more money, then that money has to come from somewhere else, and maybe another group is going to suffer.”

The Safety Center maintenance and construction projects are something Jantz suggested, but will leave to the Commission to consider.

“We need to make sure we do the best with that money for the public,” Jantz said.