It's open to people wanted on nonviolent misdemeanors and felonies who want to clear their name without ending up in handcuffs. In return for your surrender, prosecutors say they will do what they can, within reason, to keep you out of prison.

It's to be held June 16 through June 19 at New Baptist Metropolitan Church on McCulloh Street, the idea being a place of worship is a non-threatening environment. It is not an amnesty program in sense of the word,” stressed Assistant State's Attorney Patricia Deros. “All we can say that we will offer favorable consideration. We will do what we can to not incarcerate people.” (above is a pile of unserved arrest warrants in Baltimore, some dating back two decades).

People want on warrants charging them with shootings, handgun violations and other violent crime don't qualify. But for others on old shoplifting cases, here's a chance to get that old baggage all cleared up.

In Washington, officials hailed the program, which they did in 2007, as such a success they wished it had last longer. It's sponored by the U.S. Marshals Service and they do only one per city. So this is the last change. Officials plan to move everything from office furniture to high-speed copy machines to the church, as well as generators to ensure there's enough power.

They'll be prosecutors, judges, public defenders and clerks on hand. Judges will work out of a community center across the street -- they objected to rendering justice inside a church. Some people not happy with what they're offered will no doubt demand trials and will be put back into the regular system. But the program is designed to get people through the system without handcuffs, without jail, and in the quickest way possible.

Over the past several weeks, Deros (left) has been working hard to examine many the 40,000 open arrest warrants still lingering in the system, and to throw out ones that can't be prosecuted. In some, police officers or even the crime lab chemist have died. A full account of how she's doing this seemingly impossible task is the subject of Sunday's Crime Beat column in the Baltimore Sun.

DC officials have a great web site on the program that explains it in more detail and even offers up testimonials from suspects who went through it. The U.S. Marshal's Office also has a site that offers information.

In DC, 530 people surrendered over the course of three days, and officials there said had it gone a week, they could've gotten more than 1,000. For more information, here's a flier explaining the program: