PHOENIX -- Men convicted of drunken driving will don bright pink shirts and perform burials of people who died of alcohol abuse as part of a new chain gang in Phoenix.

IMAGES: New Chain Gang In Action

Fifteen Maricopa County inmates will wear the the usual black and white striped pants with a new fashion twist -- bright pink shirts which say "Sheriff D.U.I. Chain Gang" on the front and "Clean (ing) and Sober" on the back.

"I feel like a flamingo," said inmate Michael McGowan. "But I don't know, whatever helps. If it saves lives then that'll be good."

Sheriff's spokesman Capt. Paul Chagolla said the chain gang will be the first ever that's dedicated to one type of crime.

VIDEO: Inmates React

The new chain gang hit the streets of Phoenix for the first time on Tuesday. Chagolla said the work detail is the first ever that's dedicated to one type of crime.

Chagolla said the chain gang, padlocked together at the ankle, will clean busy streets in full view of commuters and perform burials in indigent cemeteries where many died from alcohol abuse.

Inmate Michael McDaniel, who is serving a four-month sentence for aggravated DUI and driving on a suspended license, said he volunteered for the chain gang to get out of the jail tents.

"It's good to get out of the tents and be in the public," said the 30-year-old Glendale resident. "Hopefully it keeps someone from drinking and driving."

McDaniel said he found his attire "a little embarrassing."

"I don't like the color pink, but I can live with it," he said.

Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, best known for issuing pink underwear to jail inmates and housing them in old military tents, said in a news release that "it's all about deterrence."

"Not only for the chain gang volunteers, but also for the public who will see the chain gang on the streets and quietly hope they never end up there themselves," he said.

Most inmates are serving sentences of a year or less for relatively minor convictions or are awaiting trial because they could not make bail.

Arizona had the sixth-highest number of alcohol-related fatalities in the nation last year at 585, up 15 percent from the previous year, according to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration records.

In June, the state Legislature passed one of the toughest DUI laws in the country. The law, which went into effect in September, includes mandatory ignition-interlock devices for first-time offenders, increased fines and a minimum of 45 days in jail for "superextreme" DUI convictions.

The DUI chain gang will next work on Thursday, when they'll perform burials at an indigent cemetery that is the final resting place for many homeless alcoholics.

Because of prisoner abuse, most chain gangs were disbanded across the United States by the 1950s. Thirteen years ago, Arpaio resurrected the idea, and in 1996, started chain gangs for women inmates.

Arpaio said there aren't yet enough women convicted of DUI to start a chain gang, but said he's already planning to expand the crime-specific chain gangs to other areas, such as identity theft and car theft. "Hey, it's unlimited what we can put on a shirt," he said.

The sheriff issued a simple message for those who drink and drive this holiday season. "Don't drink and drive or you're going to end up in pink underwear and pink shirts with the big letters DUI so everybody can see you, Arpaio said."

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