California program has violators pay for crime with service time
While non-violent offenders in the California area will still have to pay for their mistakes, they may not have to pay out of their pockets if they can’t afford it and can give of their time through community service instead. Mayor Galvie Gardner will oversee a community service program that allows non-violent offenders to work off their fines and court costs by doing odd jobs and light labor around the borough.
District Justice William Pelkey of California said he hopes other municipalities in Washington County will follow California and join the community service program.
“This area is like a burned-out match economically, and a lot of people can’t afford to pay these fines,” Pelkey said. “This program is advantageous for all involved.”
Pelkey explained that the program, offered through the Washington County Court of Common Pleas Office of Community Service, allows non-violent law violators to retire $6 per hour of community service off court costs and fines. He said the participating municipality in turn receives free labor. For example, Pelkey said workers can paint curbs, parking lots and fire hydrants or pick up litter or do landscaping for local municipalities.
Pelkey said he has sent community service workers, mostly college students, to the Center In The Woods, where they have prepared and served lunches, cleaned the cafeteria and waxed floors.
Pelkey has recently been introducing this program, which has been in existence in Washington County for approximately eight years, to local municipalities that have been reluctant to participate.
“We have to get other municipalities to participate, but some are worried about insurance,” Pelkey said.
But Pelkey said there is little to worry about when joining the program. He said the Washington County Court of Common Pleas has participants sign waivers, and he said workers are assigned light physical work and are not given hazardous duties or asked to use dangerous equipment. He said that they also screen the participants before they are approved for the program.
Pelkey said he also reviews applications, interviews and checks the background of the non-violent law violators who apply to the program.
“These are not people who have committed heinous crimes. We make sure these are trustworthy individuals. We look at things like if they are repeat offenders and I interview them one-on-one to get more insight.”
Pelkey said he believes some municipalities are also reluctant to join the program because they can’t afford to pay a worker to oversee the community service participants.
In the case of California, the mayor will oversee the program.
Pelkey said he is very pleased that California is participating in the community service program.
Gardner said he is excited about the borough’s participation in the program.
“I think it’s (the program) a great thing for California,” he said. “We can get some work done and
with such a high student population, Gardner says the borough often sees a number of minor offenses like underage drinking (or) disorderly conduct committed by young adults who cannot afford to pay the fines.”
“I think this program teaches them a lesson, gives them a sense of responsibility and it just might have some effect on them. Parents send their kids here to get an education not to get drunk and possibly killed, that is another reason I’m doing this.”
Pelkey agrees.
“The bright side of this is that it prevents idle time, keeps them busy and it’s a learning experience too, where work ethics are concerned,” he said.
Pelkey said if the participants work well in their placements, they could put their job on their resume, use their supervisor as a reference or he said their participation could possibly lead to future job opportunities.
Gardner said he already has three or four people in line to participate. He intends to have workers do jobs like painting, weed whacking, picking up garbage and washing police cars.
Pelkey said he is grateful for the cooperation he has received from Gardner and expects great things from the partnership.
“I have a good rapport, a good working relationship with (Gardner). That is a necessity because we want to make this town better than today and when you join hands, you’ll be amazed at what can be accomplished.”