Agoura Hills : Jail Parolees Get Early Release for Work

County jail parolees are hitting the streets in Agoura Hills.

But they aren’t there to cause trouble, officials said. They’re working on Los Angeles County Department of Public Works road maintenance projects. It’s part of a Sheriff’s Department program in which certain prisoners serving terms in County Jail are released early in exchange for their labor, officials said.

Since mid-August, about 30 parolees have been working each day in Agoura Hills, picking up trash and helping maintain city streets, said Donna Guyovich, a spokeswoman for Public Works. The parolees, who are screened by the Sheriff’s Department, were convicted of lesser offenses, according to Guyovich. They are supervised by county road crew foremen, she said.

The department’s previous success in using parolees in a number of other areas, she said, has encouraged Public Works to expand the program to cities such as Agoura Hills, which contracts with the county to maintain its streets and roads.

Public Works, which traditionally has used parolees for flood control projects, has assigned them more and more for road maintenance projects, she said.

The workers, who were serving terms of up to one year, are not paid for their work, Guyovich said.

Public Works, she said, would eventually like to use parolees in Calabasas and Westlake Village, two other contract cities.