Upon conviction of any person of a misdemeanor in a justice court of this state, the justice court judge shall be authorized, in his discretion, to sentence such person to:
A period of time in jail to be served either on weekends only;
Other periods of time during the week wherein such offender may not be engaged in gainful employment; or
A specified number of days in jail with a provision for the release of such offender for the purpose of engaging in gainful employment at such times as the offender is actually gainfully employed, whether self-employed or otherwise.
In addition, the court may, in its discretion, sentence any convicted person to split periods of incarceration in lieu of serving the sentence of imprisonment all in one (1) period.