Inmates do cleanup duty

The sheriff said he'd like to see the program expand to two shifts.
By PATRICIA MEADE
VINDICATOR CRIME REPORTER
YOUNGSTOWN -- A brown-bag lunch worth $1.11 is the only cost the county is incurring to have furloughed Mahoning County jail inmates work off their sentences, the sheriff says.
Sheriff Randall A. Wellington said the price of lunch sure beats the $69 daily cost to house inmates. The main course of Friday's sack lunch was bologna sandwiches.
Wellington and Mayor Jay Williams positioned themselves on the south end of the Peace Officers Memorial bridge, also known as the South Avenue bridge, to watch a 10-member inmate crew pick up trash Friday morning. For each eight hours of work, furloughed inmates knock off a day that would have been spent in jail.
The bridge location was chosen to ensure that the area is clean for peace officer memorial services next week, the sheriff said.
A population cap of 296 at the jail resulted in the furlough of sentenced misdemeanor inmates beginning in March 2005. The sheriff said 480 men and women are on furlough, and the number grows each day.
Wearing fluorescent-green vests that identified them as sheriff's inmates, the litter crew stuffed into plastic bags what they found Friday on a hillside off Interstate 680. A city street department truck hauled away debris.
'Productive partnership'
Williams said he welcomed the sheriff's call asking him whether the city wanted to use inmates for work that needs to be done.
"There's no end to the list of things to do," the mayor said. When resources are short, there's a need for innovative solutions, he said, calling the county-city program a "productive partnership."
Williams said he doesn't expect complaints from city workers who do the type of work furloughed inmates are undertaking. The mayor said he believes city workers will understand that it's their community benefiting from the inmates' labors.
"We will be respectful of all union contracts," he said.
Wellington said he hopes to have the crew size increase to 20 and also put on a second shift. Aside from litter removal, work will include grass cutting, painting over graffiti, washing county cars and more, he said.
What inmates say
"It's all right -- better than jail," furloughed inmate James Likouris, 21, of Boardman said as he bagged bunches of bramble. "It's not hard work; it's like landscaping."
Likouris received a two-day jail sentence for driving under suspension. He has no driving privileges until 2007 and relies on friends and family for rides.
He'll be back out Monday for another eight hours to complete his sentence.
So will 23-year-old James Floyd of Youngstown, also sentenced to two days in jail for DUS. He didn't mind the work Friday, echoing the sentiment of the day: "It's better than sitting in jail."
Wellington said those on work crews are guilty of misdemeanors and traffic offenses but not of driving under the influence. The sentences range from one day to six months. The program began April 24.
The sheriff said he's getting requests from all over the city and county for cleanup.
meade@vindy.com