Supervised Prison Crews to Clean Up Parks

Prison crews will work in February and March to assist township Parks and Recreation Department staff in cleaning up debris and leaves around South Ardmore Park, Ashbridge Park and Gladwyne Park, according to a township press release.

"The prisoners will primarily assist Township crews with leaf and debris clean-up in the parks," Director of Parks and Recreation Lindsay Taylor said in the news release. "As a reminder to residents, a background check is completed on each prisoner and there are no sex offenders or violent offenders in the program.

"Crimes committed by the inmates include probation or parole violations, forgery, domestic relations, criminal conspiracy and drug use. Montgomery County Prison officers are with the group at all times as they work alongside Parks and Recreation Department employees," the release states.

"It is also important to note that the prisoners are not allowed to fraternize with the general public. They are only allowed to speak to each other, their supervisors and Parks and Recreation Department employees," Taylor added in the press release.

"Should any of the prisoners violate any of the rules and regulations of the program, they are removed from the program and re-housed in the general population for the remainder of their sentence," the release states.

Taylor noted that the participants in the program have earned the ability to qualify for this program.

“We've used the program for several years, and most municipalities in Montgomery County have used it at one time or another,” Taylor said. “The guys are generally very, very hard workers, and we're fortunate to be able to use them.”

Their schedule is as follows, according to the release:

• South Ardmore Park: Feb. 22 to 25
• Ashbridge Park: Feb. 28 to March 4
• Gladwyne Park: March 14 to 18