The prisoners would fill a void left by county workers who were laid off in the Roads Department, according to officials.

Randolph and Elmore counties are among those that have inmates pick up litter; and the Alabama Department of Corrections has a road crew made up of inmates.

Randolph has eight inmates are picking up trash, two are helping with road patching (potholes) and four are helping at the county road department shop.

The inmates are selected, but their participation is voluntary, which is different than a community service program, in which the participation is required as part of their sentence.

Elmore County also has supervised inmate litter crews operating throughout the summer to keep roadsides clean.

The Alabama Department of Corrections has road crews that pick up trash along the interstate and other Alabama correctional facilities require inmates to engage in manual labor.

Alabama prisoner Kenric Turner was killed last week near Loxley while working on an Alabama Department of Corrections road crew when a vehicle struck him while he picked up trash along the interstate. Another inmate on the road crew, Kelvin Jordan, also was hit and severely injured. Both were incarcerated at the Loxley Community Work Center, one of the Alabama correctional facilities that require inmates to engage in manual labor. The state passed new legislation this spring that expands the use of prison labor in Alabama.

The new law lets private businesses contract for inmate labor with the Alabama Department of Corrections, which gets to keep up to 40% of the inmates' wages. African-American legislators filibustered the bill for several hours, arguing the program gives companies access to cheap workers without having to provide benefits or adequate safety.