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Offenders Clean More Than 6000 Miles of Michigan Roadways

Contact: Leo Lalonde (517) 373-6190

 

December 10, 2004

 

Governor Jennifer M. Granholm today announced that through Project C.L.E.A.N. (CLeaning Expressways And Neighborhoods), almost 13,000 offenders under the supervision of the Michigan Department of Corrections (MDOC) collected over 50,000 bags of trash and debris from more than 6,000 miles of Michigan roadways.

 

Project C.L.E.A.N., which runs from April through September, utilizes minimum-security prisoners housed in the state’s correctional system and offenders on probation or parole to clean up Michigan’s highways, roadways and neighborhoods.

 

“This project continues to be a tremendous success,” said Granholm.  “It gives offenders who may have caused destruction and harm to our communities an opportunity to build up their community in a positive way.”

 

The statewide program was a collaborative effort among the MDOC, local community corrections agencies and the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT).  MDOT selected the areas to clean, maintained the safety of the work sites, provided the trash bags and collected the trash bags once they were filled.

 

During the summer-long program, offender crews cleaned roadways and neighborhoods from southeastern Michigan to the western Upper Peninsula. 

 

In order to participate in the program, offenders must be on probation or parole or must:  be classified as minimum security (Level I), have no history of arson or sex offenses, have served half their minimum sentence, be within 12 months of their earliest release date and not sentenced as a habitual offender.

 

“Project C.L.E.A.N. is a collective effort that brings together state and local agencies to perform the vital task of cleaning up Michigan’s roads,” said MDOC Director Patricia L. Caruso. “This valuable program helps offenders build a positive work ethic and assists in making Michigan a cleaner and more inviting place for our citizens and visitors.” 

 

The 2004 initiative collected 13,000 additional bags of garbage and cleaned more than double the miles of the 2003 effort.