‘1. Participation in public works projects authorized. The sheriff in charge of a county jail , or the sheriff of a county that shares a regional jail with other counties, may permit certain inmates of that jail to participate in public works-related projects or in the improvement of property owned by charitable organizations if the public works project or the property of the charitable organization is in the county where the jail is located in that county or another county. A project or improvement must be supervised by the sheriff of the county in which the project or improvement is being conducted. The sheriff may request payment from charitable organizations for the transportation of the prisoners and for the transportation and per diem compensation for any guards who accompany the prisoners. For the purposes of this section, "charitable organization" means any nonprofit organization organized or incorporated in this State or having a principal place of business in this State that is exempt from federal income taxation under the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Section 501(a), because the nonprofit organization is described in the United States Internal Revenue Code of 1986, Section 501(c)(3).’