Article: House arrest program frees space in county jail.

Byline: Matthew Watkins

Aug. 17--The Brazos County Jail has a new program to deal with overcrowding: Send some inmates home.

Under a program started July 9, more than 70 convicts have been sentenced to pay their debts to society under house arrest. The effort frees space in the jail and saves the county money, officials said.

"What we are doing is taking the work-release prisoners who serve part of the day in jail and then are released hours later, and using a leg monitor and have them sit at home instead," Sheriff Chris Kirk said.

The prisoner wears a rubber bracelet with a transmitter smaller than a deck of cards. The device alerts officials if a prisoner ...

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