{"data":{"id":"us-ky/krs-439.179","jurisdiction":"us-ky","citation":"KRS 439.179","heading":"Release of misdemeanants  -- Purposes  for which  permitted --","body":"Earnings  of prisoner, records, and disposition -- Authority of District\nJudge  and jailer.\n(1) Any  person sentenced to a jail for a misdemeanor, nonpayment of a fine or\nforfeiture, or contempt of court, may be granted the privilege of leaving the jail\nduring necessary and reasonable hours for any of the following purposes:\n(a) Seeking employment; or\n(b) Working at his employment; or\n(c) Conducting  his own  business or other self-employment occupation\nincluding, in the case of a woman, housekeeping and attending the needs\nof her family; or\n(d) Attendance at an educational institution; or\n(e) Medical treatment.\n(2) Unless the privilege is expressly granted by the court, the prisoner shall be\nsentenced to ordinary confinement. The prisoner may petition the sentencing\ncourt for the privilege at the time of sentence or thereafter, and, in the\ndiscretion of the sentencing court, may renew his petition. The sentencing court\nmay  withdraw the privilege at any time by order entered with or without notice.\nThe  jailer shall advise the court in establishing criteria in determining a\nprisoner's eligibility for work release.\n(3) The  jailer shall notify the Department of Workforce Development, which shall\nendeavor to secure employment for unemployed prisoners under this section. If\na prisoner is employed for wages or salary, they shall, by wage assignment, be\nturned over to the District Court which shall deposit the same  in a trust\nchecking account and shall keep a ledger showing the status of the account of\neach  prisoner. The wages  or salary shall not be subject to garnishment of\neither the employer or the District Court during the prisoner's term, and shall be\ndisbursed only as provided in this section. For tax purposes they shall be the\nincome of the prisoner.\n(4) Every prisoner gainfully employed shall be liable for the cost of his board in the\njail, for an amount up to twenty-five percent (25%) of the prisoner's gross daily\nwages,  not to exceed forty dollars ($40) per day, but not less than twelve\ndollars ($12) per day, established by the fiscal court of a county or the\nurban-county council if an  urban-county government. If he  defaults, his\nprivilege under this section shall be automatically forfeited. All moneys shall be\npaid directly to the jailer and paid to the county treasury for use on the jail as\nprovided in KRS  441.206. The fiscal court of a county or the urban-county\ncouncil if an urban-county government may, by ordinance, provide that the\ncounty furnish or pay for the transportation of prisoners employed under this\nsection to and from the place of employment and require that the costs be\nrepaid by the prisoner.\n(5) The  sentencing court may order the defendant's employer to deduct from the\ndefendant's wages or salary payments for the following purposes:\n(a) The board of the prisoner and transportation costs incurred by the county;\n(b) Support of the prisoner's dependents, if any;\n(c) Payment,  either in full or  ratably, of the prisoner's obligations\nacknowledged by him in writing or which have been reduced to judgment;\nand\n(d) The balance, if any, to the prisoner upon his discharge.\n(6) The  sentencing court shall not direct that any payment authorized under this\nsection be paid through the circuit clerk.\n(7) The  Department of Corrections shall, at the request of the District Judge,\ninvestigate and  report on the amount  necessary for the support of the\nprisoner's dependents, and periodically review the prisoner's progress while on\nleave from the jail and report its findings to the District Judge.\n(8) The  jailer may refuse to permit the prisoner to exercise his privilege to leave\nthe jail as provided in subsection (1) for any breach of discipline or other\nviolation of jail regulations for a period not to exceed five (5) days.\n(9) In counties containing an urban-county form of government, the duties,\nresponsibilities, and obligations vested herein in the Department of Corrections\nshall be performed by the adult misdemeanant  probation and work release\nagency of the urban-county government.","path":["KRS Chapter 439"],"source_url":"https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/law/statutes/statute.aspx?id=52483","current_through":"Includes enactments through the 2026 Regular Session","vintage":"09/05/2026","retrieved_at":"2026-09-05T20:59:52Z","sha256":"ed039eb9a1060e6f807631bbd6ce26b2b19e79bf779c7e62ba4b1445ef1efcc7","source_id":"us-ky","stale":false,"prev":"us-ky/krs-439.177","next":"us-ky/krs-439.180"},"notice":"GroundRules: Original legal text. Not legal advice."}