NO VACANCY

Prison Overcrowding Will Take Two-Pronged Solution

N.C. legislators face the difficult task of finding a solution to
prison overcrowding that doesn't jeopardize public safety by putting
dangerous criminals back on the street.

According to the N.C. Sentencing and Policy Advisory Commission, N.C.
prisons are projected to run out of space this year, a reality that
could strain already tight state resources.

When balancing concerns about the costs of expanding prison facilities
with public safety, government officials should use a combination of
short-term and long-term approaches to the problem of prison
overcrowding in North Carolina.

Prison overcrowding is a nationwide dilemma stemming from tough
anti-crime policies enacted in the 1980s that have reduced crime rates
but have steadily increased prison populations nationwide.

The Pew Center on the States reported in February that for the first
time in U.S. history one in every 100 Americans is behind bars and
that the U.S. now has the largest prison population in the world,
eclipsing that of Russia and China.

While the implications of increased incarceration rates are a
much-debated subject, one obvious problem is in figuring out how North
Carolina will meet the increased demand for prison facilities, a
considerable feat in itself made even more challenging by the state's
limited finances.

We believe that a multifaceted approach combining long- and short-term
solutions to prison overcrowding is the most effective approach.

There is clearly an immediate need to directly address prison
overcrowding. Reduced sentences for convicted felons pose a serious
threat to public safety and are not the solution.

The most obvious way the state can tackle this problem in the short
term is to build more prisons or expand existing prison facilities.

However, this is certainly not the most cost-effective solution and
will create a huge financial headache for legislators.

In the long term, it is in the state's best interest to consider
solutions that will not only be less financially burdensome for
taxpayers, but also reduce recidivism rates.

Pennsylvania legislators, who are facing similar prison overcrowding
issues, are considering a bill that would give nonviolent offenders an
opportunity to shorten their sentence if they complete treatment
programs and receive good performance reports.

Sentencing statistics show that this kind of approach can reduce crime
rates and save states money. A whopping 84 percent of the increase in
state and federal prison incarcerations since 1980 were nonviolent
offenders, and one-third of the increase was from drug offenders.

While North Carolina need not necessarily consider the exact same
proposition, it should take heed of a good idea that addresses both
short- and long-term solutions to prison overcrowding.