Record Turnout for Langan Park Cleanup

May 17th, 2007

Over 160 criminal defendants, sentenced by the courts of the City of Mobile and Mobile County, worked to repay their “debt to society” by participating in the Langan Park clean-up day on May 12.

The cleanup effort was organized by Lee Pope, probation officer with the Mobile County Community Corrections Center, Judge Matt Green with the Mobile Municipal Court and Judge Rusty Johnston with the Mobile County Circuit Court.

The defendants/community service workers were convicted of non-violent offenses such as illegal drug use, writing bad checks and D.U.I. The defendants were ordered by the sentencing judges to perform a fixed number of community service hours, typically 50-150. The defendants/community service workers were supervised by employees of the City of Mobile Parks Department.

One of the messiest jobs of the day was the cleaning of brush and aquatic weeds from the upper dam at Langan Park. The defendants/community service workers waded in knee deep water and used brush axes and swing blades to clear the vegetation. They were aided by other workers in a small aluminum boat that cut weeds in some of the deeper water. Additionally, the defendants/community service workers also raked leaves and picked up scattered trash in the park.

Judge Rusty Johnston, who worked with several of the crews throughout the day, estimated that the defendants/community service workers contributed $7,500 in work to the citizens of Mobile.

The Mobile County Community Corrections Center was formed over a decade ago and works with the courts of Mobile County to implement community based punishment such as community service, drug treatment, and employment education. Its director is Steve Green, former district director of the Alabama Department of Pardons and Paroles. Presiding Judge Charles Graddick is, by law, charged with the responsibility of overseeing the Center.