SPEEDIER PAROLES UNPOPULAR SOLUTION

Except for the inmates, it's unlikely many Alabamians are happy about the
state's efforts to relieve prison overcrowding by accelerating the parole
of those incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. Prosecutors definitely
aren't happy, as district attorneys Randall Houston and Ellen Brooks have
made quite clear.

Yet it's hard to see what other options Alabama has, at least in the short
term. With serious overcrowding in a prison system designed for less than
half the number of inmates in its custody, and with the reality of federal
court intervention looming, something had to be done -- and done quickly.

The state parole board has approved early releases for more than 3,000
inmates since the effort to accelerate paroles began last April. An
expansion of the parole board approved by the Legislature last year has
allowed about 1,900 more cases to be reviewed since December, with about
900 paroles resulting.

The push for accelerated releases creates concerns on several fronts, among
them the proper definition of a nonviolent offense. Houston, district
attorney for Autauga, Elmore and Chilton counties, doesn't want drug
dealers or those with felony DUI convictions listed as nonviolent offenders
eligible for parole.

He said he was recently notified of the case of a repeat DUI offender who
will come up for parole consideration next month. "He was sentenced to five
years for two felony DUI convictions in an Elmore County case on Jan. 15,"
Houston said. "He has another pending DUI charge against him that will go
before the next grand jury. He's been in prison a little over a month on a
five-year sentence and he's up for parole?"

Brooks, district attorney for Montgomery County, warns that the accelerated
releases are sure to cause problems for the citizenry: "The way we are
doing things is totally doomes to failure. The only question is who is
going to be the victim of the next serious offense."

These concerns are legitimate. But so are the problems the prison system
faces. Striking some kind of balance between the two is a huge challenge.

Taxpayers haven't shown a willingness to assume the cost of building and
staffing more prisons, nor have they shown great interest in sentencing
reform that would incarcerate offenders who ought to be in prison while
allowing alternative sentences for those who don't have to be behind bars.
Absent that, the options are limited and unappealing.