In mid-December, Lawrence police arrested a 30-year-old Ottawa man on suspicion of lewd and lascivious behavior. His arrest, however, was different than most — he was already an inmate at the Douglas County Jail.

Ryan Lawrence was a part of the jail’s work release program, allowed out in the community that day to search for a job, according to the arrest affidavit filed in Douglas County District Court.

At the time, Lawrence was serving part of a one-year sentence he received after pleading no contest to two 2015 charges of lewd and lascivious behavior. He is also required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

Now Lawrence is accused of publicly exposing his genitals to a woman near the Kansas University campus.

The case has shined a new light on the jail’s work release program, which has been in operation since the 1980s. Members of the Douglas County legal system this week said the program does a lot of good, but there are occasions where inmates do commit violations while participating in the program.

It is unclear, though, how often that happens. Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kristen Dymacek said the department doesn’t keep official statistics on the number of work-release participants who commit crimes while in the program. But she said allegations such as those made against Lawrence aren’t all that frequent. Most crimes committed while in the program are traffic offenses, she said.

“Work release is a privilege, and most of the participants don’t want to jeopardize their ability to participate in it,” she said.

Dymacek said Sheriff’s Office policy stipulates she cannot specify whether Lawrence is still participating in the work release program.

“But please keep in mind that in order to participate in the work release program, participants must follow rules and regulations,” she said. “If participants are found to have committed crimes or violated rules and regulations, their status in the program is suspended or revoked.”

Here’s a look at some other details about how the work-release program operates.

What is work release?

The Douglas County Correctional Facility Work Release Program is meant to help those who qualify keep one foot in the working world, said Court Administrator Linda Koester-Vogelsang. Losing a job or failing to meet pre-existing financial obligations can often lead jail inmates into worse situations than they were in before.

“From our perspective, it is that as much as possible we’re a community, and we want as much as possible to keep people, who it is appropriate for, in the working world,” Koester-Vogelsang said. “Unfortunately, if you are incarcerated and you can’t get to your job, then you might lose your job, which isn’t necessarily a good thing in the long term for the individuals or their family or whoever else they might have obligations to.

“So, if that can be worked into the scheme of hopefully helping an individual from whatever reasons they may have been incarcerated into a productive society, that’s our goal,” she added.

Not only are certain inmates allowed out of the jail on work release, but others can be allowed to leave and hunt for jobs, Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kristen Dymacek said in an email.

Unemployed inmates with work-release privileges are allowed a total of three weeks, Monday through Friday, to find a job, Dymacek said. If they are unsuccessful, they may not participate in the program for 90 days.

Only once in the past three years has an inmate been unable to find a job within their allotted three weeks, Dymacek said.

Currently, 16 inmates are participating in the work release program, which is the average number of participants at any given time, Dymacek said.

Who qualifies?

The ultimate decision for which inmates qualify for work release is left up to their judges, but the jail does have some say in the matter, Dymacek said.

“Work release must have a court order, which is determined by the judge,” she said. “In the court order, the judge can leave it to the sheriff’s office’s discretion on whether that person participates in the work release program.”

An inmate’s history is taken into account when they are considered for the program, Dymacek said. Poor performance or behavior within the program may disqualify inmates, although this type of ineligibility is less common.

“Participants in the work release program are ones that have committed crimes that are less serious in nature,” Dymacek said. “These crimes are usually misdemeanors, (and) may be the occasional low-level, non-violent felony.”

Under the Kansas criminal code, lewd and lascivious behavior is classified as a misdemeanor.

How it works

Men participating in the work release program are kept in a separate jail housing unit, Dymacek said. Because the jail does not have extra facilities for women participating in the program, they are housed in the facility’s female unit.

Each inmate participating in the program is scheduled for temporary release based on their individual work or job search schedule, Dymacek said. Once jail staff confirms their scheduled, temporary release, the prisoners are allowed to leave the facility.

Aside from following the law, there are various rules and regulations applied to each inmate on work release, Dymacek said. A violation of any of those stipulations can result in the revocation of the privilege.

Businesses employing an inmate are aware of their work release status and must provide work schedules to the jail, Dymacek said. Employed inmates are only allowed out of jail when they are scheduled to work and must return when they are finished.

Inmates are required to call the jail as soon as they arrive at work to check in, Dymacek said. They are also required to check in before returning.

“If their job requires them to change locations, the work release participant must call DCCF (Douglas County Correctional Facility) and check in prior to leaving and then once again when they arrive at the new location,” she said.

The sheriff’s office also performs random checks, showing up at inmates’ workplaces to ensure they are where they should be, Dymacek said.

“For those that are in the process of job searching, they are required to call and check in each time they change location,” she said. “Random checks are also done with those doing job searches as well.”

It is uncommon for work-release participants not to return when they are required, Dymacek said. On average, one or two participants a year fail to return, which then sparks a search.

“If we have a person that doesn’t return when required, the sheriff’s office searches for the subject and makes every attempt to find them,” Dymacek said. “If they are not located, escape charges are filed and warrants are issued.”

The combination of random spot checks and communication requirements for inmates helps ensure each work-release participant is where they need to be rather than out committing crimes, Dymacek said. In addition, most inmates work to maintain the ability to leave the jail, if only on a temporary basis.

In all, Koester-Vogelsang said the majority of work-release participants do well within the program, and their participation benefits both themselves and the rest of the community.

“Obviously there are some great benefits to society if we can keep people in a working environment,” she said.

Lawrence is being held in the Douglas County Jail. He is scheduled to appear in court at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday for a trial setting.