The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

The numbers of suicides within the prisons this past year reflect that concern. The League was aware of Iowa's growth in prison population and the resulting building of new prisons. From 1991 to 2001, Iowa's prison population grew from 4,077 to 8,108. Our state has increased prison beds by 3,809, yet the prisons are still well above capacity. Currently Iowa has 1,527 more prisoners than the prisons were designed to hold. Those crowded prisons have the potential to create a volatile situation. At the same time we have over 30,000 offenders in community corrections programs who are being supervised by probation and parole officers with excessive caseloads. During the same ten years, the budget for corrections increased from $141 million in 1994, with prison costs accounting for most of that increase, to $265 million in 2004. That represents an increase from 4.02% of the total state budget to 5.91%. Thus, prison costs are demanding an ever-larger share of our state budget. At a time when we need to invest more in education at all levels, to protect our environment more aggressively, and to invest in economic development, we have instead been building prisons at a cost of almost $50 million each. The annual operating cost for each prison is about $28 million. If current sentencing trends, policies, practices and offender behavior remain unchanged, the prison population will increase 42.6% over the next ten years, and five new 800-bed prisons will be needed. Of particular concern to the League was the growth in admissions for drug offenders, which tripled during the past ten years. In contrast, new admissions of all other offenders increased by only 49% during that same period. The Criminal and Juvenile Justice Planning agency estimates that prison admissions for methamphetamine-related drug crimes increased from about 105 in fiscal year 1995 (FY 1995) to about 800 admissions in FY 2003, a 662% increase during that eight-year period. The legislature should look at the effectiveness of drug courts in the areas where they exist and consider increasing the availability of those courts to prevent growth in prison admissions. Following the 18-month study, local League organizations statewide agreed to the following positions:
* The League of Women Voters of Iowa (LWVIA) supports a justice system that is fair and protects the public safety. LWVIA believes that mandatory sentencing has had an adverse impact on Iowa's justice and corrections systems, which could be reduced by providing greater flexibility for judges, the Iowa Department of Corrections (DOC), and the Iowa Board of Parole to consider unique circumstances in criminal cases while sentencing standards set out in the Iowa Code remain applicable.
* The LWVIA supports an indeterminate sentencing structure.
* The LWVIA supports legislation that considers offenders with special needs, such as the mentally retarded, mentally ill, geriatric inmates, and medically needy inmates.
* The LWVIA supports Iowa's system of community-based corrections (CBCs) for offenders. CBCs should provide treatment, when appropriate, for offenders in the community while maintaining safeguards for the public. Iowa should maximize community corrections by providing adequate funding.
* The LWVIA supports adopting sentencing legislation that is based on valid and reliable research. Such legislation should consider proportionality of all sentences to crimes committed; judicial discretion; budget constraints on the Iowa Department of Corrections; and effectiveness of treatment. We urge the Iowa General Assembly to seriously consider these recommendations and establish a plan to achieve successful outcomes for offenders in this state.
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The above article was written by Johnie Hammond, a member of the LWV of Iowa Sentencing and Corrections Committee, member of the Ames LWV, and former State Senator and Representative and Pat Jensen, President, League of Women Voters of Iowa.
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