RAINER'S RAMBLINGS
Detention Facility beneficial for Towns
By RAINER ARNOLD

Ken Harrell , the Director of the Pat Colwell Detention Center in Blairsville, stated recently that "Most people do not know what we are." And the personable director has a point. Many people think of the Detention Center more like a prison. In a way, it is, but it is much more.

This facility is for individuals who have violated their probation and thus are incarcerated for 30 days up to 2.5 years. However, what is unique about this facility is that it is self sustaining as the inmates work. Now, anyone with the potential for violence or anything of that nature, will not be allowed on a work detail outside the facility.

There are 17 contract details of 6-10 details that do work for Towns, Union, Fannin and other governmental agencies including Hiawassee and Blairsville. The savings to these entities is enormous. The governments only have to pay for the peace officer in charge of the detainees. Thus, hundreds of thousands of dollars can be saved by not hiring private personnel to clean the roads, do small construction jobs, painting and cleaning. As a matter of fact, there is a waiting list of businesses and government agencies to be able to obtain these work details.

Ken Harrell, Detention Center Superintendent, explaining the impact of his facility recently to members of the Lake Chatuge Rotary Club.

In addition to making these individuals work, the center also, in sort of a military manner, attempts to instill discipline into the inmates. "We try to change their lifestyles. We succeed with some and we don't with others," explained Harrell .

Harrell also gave an example of a 4th offender returning to do additional time and a mother who called to THANK us for what we did for her son.

The facility has dorms with bunk beds to accommodate anywhere from 40-60 inmates. They also teach the inmates classes to obtain their GED, substance abuse, especially since 80 percent of the inmates return to be incarcerated due to methamphetamine abuse.

"We have a program called TLC," joked Harrell and it has noting to do with Tender Loving Care (TLC). It is a program entitled Therapeutic Living Community which forces the inmates to look at crime from the view point of the victim.

The age ranges at the detention center is from as young as 17 to as old as 69, and family is they key word in terms of trying rehabilitate some of the inmates. "We try to create productive citizens who become family oriented," added Harrell.