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January 12, 2009
WA: Cost of prison system must be reined in
Cost of prison system must be reined in
Sunday, January 11, 2009 11:25 AM PST
Jan. 11 Daily News editorial
Virtually every state agency is targeted for cuts in Gov. Chris Gregoire’s budget blueprint. The Department of Corrections is asked to cut $125 million from its spending plan for the next biennium to help cope with a projected $5.7 billion revenue shortfall. Corrections Secretary Eldon Vail says that may require the early release of some inmates, an increase in the use of monitoring bracelets and a reduction in the supervision ex-convicts.
There are substantial savings to be made in the corrections budget without seriously compromising public safety, we’ve no doubt. Eliminating supervision for offenders who served time for gross misdemeanors could save $31 million, according to The Tacoma News Tribune. The newspaper reports that another $10 million could be saved by eliminating post-release supervision for other offenders considered low-to-moderate risk to reoffend.
But lawmakers would do well to use this occasion to enact more permanent cost-cutting reforms in corrections — reforms aimed at slowing the growth of Washington’s prison population. As the Tacoma newspaper noted, even after the DOC cuts $125 million from its spending plan, it still will have 72 more employees and $53 million more in the next biennium.
The Legislature has taken some important steps to address prison overcrowding in recent years. In 2003, state lawmakers made changes in the 1989 minimum sentencing laws for drug crimes that played a big part in almost tripling Washington’s prison population over the past two decades. Legislation was passed to reduce prison time and expand drug treatment options for nonviolent, first-time offenders. In 2007, the Legislature approved a $30 million plan to reduce recidivism by strengthening rehabilitation efforts. The plan involves providing inmates with literacy education, job training and drug treatment.
The 2009 Legislature can and should build on these reforms. A 2007 study by Pew Charitable Trusts found that 42 percent of new prisoners in the state were repeat offenders. That high recidivism rate has a lot to do with overcrowding in state prisons. Absent a more deliberate legislative effort to deal with the problem, it’s only going to worsen. The Pew study projects that Washington’s inmate population will grow by 28 percent over the next three years. It’s doubtful that the state can build enough prisons between now and 2011 to accommodate that growth, even allowing for some early releases.
The fact is, Washington hasn’t been able to keep up with the growing demand for prison beds for some time now. In 2005, for example, the Legislature provided $229 million for a 1,792-bed expansion to the prison at Connell in Eastern Washington. Corrections officials have said the state will be about 1,000 beds short of demand when that expansion is completed later this year.
Washington’s corrections bill has risen from about $500 million a little more than a decade ago to nearly $1.8 billion in the current biennium. Clearly, it’s time to get creative in exploring rehab programs and alternatives to incarceration.
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Posted by lois at January 12, 2009 09:24 AM