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Okla. House OKs work-release program for county inmates

Defendants would be limited to earning off up to one-third of their total sentence

Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — County sheriffs would be able to set up a work-release program for jail inmates to earn time off their sentences under a bill that has been given final approval in the Legislature.

The House voted 90-0 on Monday for the bill dubbed the “Debt to Society Act of 2016 " and sent it to the governor.

The bill would allow local sheriffs to set up the program in conjunction with the local district attorney and with approval of a district judge.

It would allow defendants who enter a plea or are convicted of a nonviolent misdemeanor to earn a day off their sentence by working an eight-hour day.

Defendants would be limited to earning off up to one-third of their total sentence.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press