CLOVIS, N.M. (AP) - It costs so much to house people convicted of petty offenses in Curry County jails that county leaders are taking a more serious look at two alternatives - community service and the decriminalization of traffic offenses.

Jail Administrator Keith Norwood tells the Clovis News Journal it's time Curry County had a community service or work release program, allowing people to serve their time outside the confines of a jail cell. 

Norwood is drafting a policy for consideration by county commissioners. It's the first step toward creating a program he is convinced could solve some overcrowding.

Commission Chairman Caleb Chandler says overcrowding forces the county to place excess prisoners in out-of-state facilities and that cost the taxpayers of Curry County somewhere around $800,000 last year.

Chandler is also championing a new statewide push to decriminalize minor traffic offenses.

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Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus, http://www.currentargus.com/

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)