In lieu of a jail sentence, the Clean and Green diversion program allows eligible non-violent offenders to clear their criminal records by cleaning up Houston's waterways.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said prosecutors will decide who is eligible for the program. Defendants facing charges of any violent crime cannot participate.
Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said he sees many benefits to the program, like freeing up jail space and reducing recidivism.
"To us this is a no-brainer,” said Gonzalez. “We operate the largest jail complex in the State of Texas – the third largest in the entire country – and, in fact, right now we are pretty much at capacity."
The program will also cut costs.
"This helps saves some taxpayer dollars that would otherwise go into a costly incarceration system or a very costly prosecution system," said Gonzalez.
The Harris County District Attorney’s Office estimates $240,000 in yearly benefits from manual labor through community service.
The announcement of the program marks the official partnership with the Texas Conservation Corps at American YouthWorks, which will supervise participants.
Clean and Green announcement https://t.co/dr28UfjVff
— Harris County DA (@HarrisCountyDAO) April 4, 2018
#CleanAndGreen is a public private partnership with @AmerYouthWorks that will clean records & our environment pic.twitter.com/ehGC3biAVj
— Harris County DA (@HarrisCountyDAO) April 4, 2018
The Clean and Green program "creates one more tool to reintegrate offenders into the community" and saves taxpayers $, says @SheriffEd_HCSO pic.twitter.com/cWyuPNHTOZ
— HCSOTexas (@HCSOTexas) April 4, 2018