The concept is nothing new and has been utilized in Clinton County in the past. However, it has been awhile since low-risk inmates, with supervision, are now back at work helping keep local roads a little cleaner…and safer.

Jailer Tracy Thurman is utilizing inmates to pick up trash alongside county roads, keeping them cleaner and at the same time, removing some unwanted and dangerous items, such as syringes, which causes a danger to citizens.

Deputy Jailer Gilbert Daniel, who is also a constable in the county, is supervising the inmates on work detail and at last week’s meeting of Clinton Fiscal Court, during his report, jailer Thurman presented court members a synopsis of roads that had been cleaned by using inmates so far this month.

Several roads in the county were listed as having seen trash and several other items of larger debris cleaned up by the inmates and a summary of roads cleaned in about a one week period is as follows:

* February 15, inmates were taken to clean up around the jail itself, as well as county roads.

On Clear Fork Church Road, two bags of trash, two buckets, two large boxes and on sign along with other odds and ends were cleaned.

On Churntop Road, 10 full bags of trash, three buckets and two large boxes, a sign and other odds and ends were cleaned.

* February 18, on the Charlie Murray Road, 13 full trash bags were collected as well as a tire and lots of cans.

On the George Sloan Road, there were six bags of trash collected, as well as two tires, a syringe/needle and lots of (primarily) beer bottles cleaned.

On the Churntop Road from Highway 738 to the Jack Ferguson property, six bags of trash and some eight syringes were found.

* February 19, on the Gayle Bowlin Road, there were five and a-half bags of trash and several cans and bottles picked up.

The Asberry Road saw seven bags of trash, bottles, a tire and other odds and ends picked up.

On Copeland Drive, there were five trash bags collected along with several cans and bottles and on Dicken School Road, 10 bags of trash, lots of bottles and cans, a large blanket and dead dog were found.

* February 21, seven bags of trash, a sign, and lots of other debris were cleaned up from the Jones-Mill Road.

On the McFall Road, six bags of trash, a tire, cable wire and other debris was retrieved.

It was noted in the synopsis that most of the trash on the McFall Road was within the first mile in that area; no trash was found on Poll Road; and Dicken Chapel School Road was probably in the worst condition.

Clinton County Judge/Executive Ricky Craig and the rest of the court members commended jailer Thurman, as well as the inmates, for deploying them to help keep county roads in a cleaner and safer condition and apparently inmate work for the county, especially in the area of keeping county roadways clean, will continue.