The Real Cost of Prisons Weblog

The prison in Laconia — formally called the Lakes Region Facility — is comprised of a series of a retrofitted structures built to house mentally retarded and other developmentally disabled people. As the state shifted from an institutional model to community-based housing and programs for its retarded citizens, residents of the Laconia State School gradually were moved out of the sprawling facility, and the buildings — many old, some new — began to sit idle. When the state decided that something needed to be done to deal with the growing number of prisoners, the decision was made to convert some of the former State School buildings into a prison. It was a move borne out of expedience, not out of thoughtful planning.

For some 15 years, the Laconia prison has been a place where many minimum- and medium-security inmates have been housed. Ensuring that the buildings where they are held are adequate — in terms of space, security and safety — has been an unending challenge. Now, after all these years, the question is being asked, "How much longer can these buildings continue to be used for a purpose for which they were never intended?"And also, "At what point does putting money into these buildings become a case of throwing good money after bad?"

In a series of articles published in last week's Citizen, comments by Department of corrections officials and current and former rank-and-file corrections officers showed that now is the time to start asking those questions. When it comes to prisons, it would be irresponsible to wait for a crisis to erupt before taking a long, hard look at the situation.

The Department of Corrections, under Commissioner William Wrenn, has come up with proposals designed to make sure that the prisons can safely accommodate the growing prisoner population and that the facilities are adequate for that purpose.

The department this past year requested $30 million for capital improvements. Most of that money — $22 million — would have paid for a 500-bed addition to the State Prison in Berlin. But, the request also included $4.8 million for upgrades in Laconia, including roof and building renovations and repairs to the boiler house and overhauls to the heating and ventilation system. Most of the requested projects were cut from the capital budget and the only capital improvement for Laconia which survived the legislative process was $1.3 million to repair the storm water and sewer system — nothing to pay for building improvements.

Whatever those upgrades would have cost, they will certainly cost more in the future. And there are troubling aspects about the Laconia facility, the main one being that the buildings where prisoners are housed are ill-suited from the standpoint of security and safety. The dropped-tile ceilings give prisoners potential access to fittings which could be turned into makeshift weapons or provide hiding places for all sorts of contraband. These building were not built with prison needs and safeguards in mind. That begs the question of whether these are places to invest more money.

Deciding what to fund with state revenues is a balancing act. Many legitimate budgetary requests get cut during the process all the time. It would be a fallacy to suggest that money for prisons is more critical than money for highway repairs, or schools, or services for elderly citizens in county nursing homes. But it would be equally wrong to say it is less critical.

Given the existing situation, the state should consider evaluating the Correction Department's fiscal priorities in a way similar to how highway projects are prioritized. The so-called 10-Year Plan for highway improvements is not perfect, either. But that kind of omnibus approach might prove beneficial to the state prison system and give the leaders of the Corrections Department a better sense of what the future holds — which currently is not the case.

http://www.citizen.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070719&Category=CITIZEN_05&ArtNo=107190332&SectionCat=CITIZEN&Template=printart