Alabama Town's Criminals Get Choice: Jail or Church

Non-violent offenders in the southern Alabama town of Bay Minette will have a new choice: Go to jail, or go to church every Sunday for a year, CBS News reports. As part of "Operation Restore Our Community," misdemeanor offenders will be allowed to choose a place of worship and check in weekly with the pastor and police, instead of paying a fine and serving jail time. If the one-year church attendance program is completed, the offender's case will be dismissed. So far, 56 churches are participating, and police chief Mike Rowland says the program could change the lives of people heading down the wrong path.


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