Carbon County's inmate community service program is officially back in operation.

On Wednesday, Frank Shubeck, prison work release director, told the county prison board that four inmates are now working around the grounds at Blue Mountain Health System's Gnaden Huetten and Palmerton campuses.The inmates, who are work release eligible but do not currently have employment, are doing maintenance-type work at the two hospitals. They are paid $1 a day for their service."So far, so good," Shubeck said of the program, which began this week.Shubeck makes random checks at the facilities to make sure the inmates are behaving."It's an opportunity to get them back into the community," he said.He said that there are a few minor kinks that need to be worked out, but overall the inmate work program is doing well.Inmates who are eligible for the program include minimal offenders such as people in for DUIs, thefts, probation violations and sometimes domestic violations. Individuals are screened to make sure they meet all guidelines before becoming eligible for the program and must have served at least half of their sentence unless a judge rules otherwise.Any inmate who does not obey the rules while out on work release will have their privileges revoked and could possibly face longer jail time, depending on the issue.The community service program aims to use work release eligible inmates for community projects.Municipalities and groups that can use the program can be anyone from fire companies to community enrichment programs or churches for anything from cleaning up after a block party to cutting grass or painting.Availability is based on the number of work release inmates who are not employed.Municipalities and organizations interested in using the work release inmates for community projects can contact Shubeck at 570-325-2211.