ON PRISONS AND CRIME

Alabama Needs Better Efforts To Deal With Those Who Break The Law

Big problems sometimes require solutions, one step at a time. Alabama's
prison problem is a prime example.

This state has too many people in prison. To reduce the number, the state
needs alternative programs and changes in sentencing laws.

That's where it gets sticky. If the law is to be changed, the Legislature
must do it. And legislators are reluctant to buck the popular notion that
the way to deal with criminals - all criminals - is to get tough and then
get tougher.

According to statistics released last week, only four other states -
Louisiana, Texas, Mississippi and Oklahoma - have a greater percentage of
their population in prison than Alabama.

Indeed, with an inmate population of 612 persons per 100,000 citizens,
Alabama in absolute numbers has more individuals behind bars than such
larger states as New Jersey (the home of organized crime, at least in the
popular culture) and Tennessee.

True, Alabama's prison population declined slightly from January 2003 to
May of this year. But that decrease of 2,100 inmates out of a 28,500 total
represented an anomaly in an otherwise upward trend of long duration.

The fact that there was a decline may well be attributed to some changes
enacted after Gov. Bob Riley took office. Those changes speeded up release
for nonviolent offenders and expanded alternative sentencing programs.

But more efforts are needed. Alabama still has too many people behind bars
for nonviolent drug or property crimes. State laws still fail to
differentiate adequately between violent crimes and nonviolent crimes. Not
enough drug rehabilitation programs are available.

Lowering the prison population is not simply a matter of compassion or
so-called "liberal" attitudes. Former Attorney General Bill Pryor, a
conservative if ever there was one, strongly advocated sentencing reform.
So do most officials in the corrections system.

Money spent in prisons, though not as much in Alabama as in other states,
is still money not going to other essential programs. Prison inmates don't
contribute to the economy; they weaken it. And without job training,
counseling and proper supervision, many prisoners will end up back behind
bars once they get out.

Alabama isn't the only state with a prison problem. But it is a state that
can ill afford to squander money on anything. Let's lock up the violent,
dangerous criminals, and let's find smarter ways to deal with the others.
It will help them - and us.