Jefferson County sheriff’s officials said the move to cite-and-release rather than arrest on simple marijuana possession is an example of criminal justice reform.

“I think we have some very progressive leaders who are not afraid to do what needs to be done,’’ said sheriff’s spokesman Capt. David Agee at a press conference held Monday. “People are always talking about criminal justice reform, well this is more than talk, this is action. This is big.”

Sheriff Mark Pettway, and Jefferson County district attorneys Lynneice Washington and Danny Carr have collaborated to implement the procedure, which is known as the “Big Ticket.”

Specifically, authorities said, it is a Uniform Non-Traffic Citation and Complaint form. In practice, the procedure allows an individual to sign his or her own recognizance bond in lieu of arrest, assuring their presence in future court matters related to the citation charge.

Washington said there is a list of offenses that would fall under the “Big Ticket” program, including simple marijuana possession, possession of drug paraphernalia and harassment. A complete list of applicable offenses has not yet been released but Agee on Monday said they include non-violent offenses such as possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal littering, and fireworks violations.

There are two degrees or levels of unlawful possession of marijuana in Alabama. First degree is possessing marijuana for something other than personal use or for personal use after a previous conviction of unlawful possession of marijuana. It is a Class C felony and punishable by one to 10 years in prison and up to a $15,000 fine.

Second-degree marijuana possession is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by not more than a year in jail and up to a $6,000 fine.

“The outcome is still the same,’’ Agee said. “We would rather use the arrest on paper than have to take a person in to custody for small amounts of marijuana. The citation achieves the same goal. The overall savings to everybody is tremendous.”

Agee said the Big Ticket will save time, and therefore save money. The booking process takes up to two hours per inmate – fingerprinting, mugshot, jail uniform issuance and so on. “It adds up and it takes time away,’’ from other things. “If we can slow down these misdemeanors from coming to jail but still address the crime, it will be tremendous.”

He said it will be clear to the deputies which route to take based on the amount of marijuana, its packaging and other circumstances. Deputies will still have the option of making an arrest if the possession of marijuana is tied to another serious crime.

“If you think about all the teenagers and college students who mess up and get in trouble messing with marijuana, do they really need to spend the night in jail to get this crime addressed?” Agee said. “I think this is going to help a lot of people and get a lot of people back on track. Those who want help will be able to get help.”

He said the process is no different except for in the initial handling – citation versus arrest. “It’s just like getting a traffic citation. You cannot ignore it,’’ Agee said. “You get a traffic citation, you pay or go to court. Everything is fine as long as person shows up in court, but if they don’t then they’re basically asking to be put in jail because we’re coming to get them.”

“We feel our new ‘big ticket’ approach will increase our efficiency and save and redirect precious taxpayers’ dollars so we can continue to fight violent crimes and protect our citizens,’’ Pettway said in a prepared statement. “It will also go a long way to address the overcrowding problem we see in our county jail.”