Criminal offenders help keep Fort Collins clean
Minor criminals in Larimer County are helping keep public spaces clean in order to stay out of jail.
The Fort Collins Coloradoan reportsthat crews of petty thieves, traffic violators and other minor criminals spend time picking up trash after Colorado State University games and cleaning up the county fairgrounds as part of Larimer County’s Alternative Sentencing Department.
The program allows offenders to spend only two days per week in custody and then trade labor for time off their sentences. Offenders pay $25 for each two-day period they spend in the program, but both the county jail and organizations hiring the work crews save significantly.
According to the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, it costs about $37 per day for an offender to be in Alternative Sentencing versus about $88 to be in jail.
