Service proposal has great merit

Arkansas highways may soon get cleaner, thanks to an idea by Gov. Mike Beebe.

Litter is so bad that Beebe wants to let people out of prison early to help clean it up.

He's asked prison and parole officials to develop a plan to parole inmates 30 to 60 days before their scheduled release so they can help pick up trash along roadways.

The idea could help inmates prepare for life in the free world again and give them a sense of satisfaction.

The General Assembly last year approved hiring more parole officers to help supervise additional parolees. Sixty more parole officers have been hired, for a total of 394.

Until plans are developed, it will be unclear how many inmates would be let out early.

However, thousands of Arkansas inmates are already released early, and they could participate in the program.

The state's prison population recently was 14,814. About 2,500 to 3,000 inmates a year are already paroled as much as 90 days early to relieve overcrowding,, so it makes great sense to have them cleaning roads.

The state Highway and Transportation Department has a program to educate motorists about littering and offers a toll-free number - 1-866-811-1222 - for reporting litterbugs.

Those spotted littering receive a letter acknowledging that and warning them not to do it again.

The litterbug tip line started in December 2004 and averages some 150 calls per week.

Picking up trash wouldn't be a full-time job for parolees, but would be a community-service requirement. The length of time in the would depend on whether the parolee had a job.

Prisoners already pick up trash in road crews, but can't travel far from the prison. Prisoners selected for road crews have good institutional records and are under armed guards.

While details are being set, it appears the community service workers would have only limited supervision. But parolees are already getting out early without the community service requirement.

The highway department spends about $5.5 million a year on litter. That includes a $1.1 million pilot program started last year to help reimburse counties for costs of using county jail inmates for litter pickup.

The community service might not reduce the highway department's expense, but the cleaner roads would be reward enough.