EARLY RELEASE CAN BE USEFUL CORRECTIONS TOOL

With Alabama prisons bursting at the seams, it's counterproductive for some
judges and prosecutors to argue against early parole for nonviolent offenders.

One of the more vocal critics is Baldwin County Circuit Judge Robert
Wilters, who said recently that if the parole board cuts sentences too
short, you're going to have anarchy.

The Register's editorial board would never suggest that the state's
early-release program should be exempt from responsible criticism. But to
suggest that Alabama faces anarchy because of it is an exaggeration.

To the contrary: as public policy, releasing nonviolent offenders early can
make sense. Largely because of politically popular get-tough-on-crime
campaigns over the past two decades, Alabama's prison population and the
related costs have skyrocketed, with few dividends to show for it.

At the end of October, Alabama housed 27,643 prisoners (up from 5,500 in
1977) in a corrections system built for 12,000. Building more prisons would
be prohibitively expensive, especially for a state that can't fund its
basic services now.

Two points put Alabama's prisons in perspective:

First, Alabama puts more people in prison than most other states: It has an
incarceration rate of 549 people per 100,000 population -- one of the 10
highest rates in the United States.

Second, there is no solid evidence that locking away criminals always leads
to lower crime rates. For example, a study that com pared Texas (with one
of the highest rates of incarceration) with New York (which has one of the
lowest) found that crime grew much faster in Texas than it did in New York.

The Alabama Legislature has established a second parole board to speed the
release of inmates eligible for parole. It's estimated that 5,000 to 6,000
inmates may get early release.

The Alabama Sentencing Institute has recommended an even more aggressive
program, including increased funding for community-based corrections. Its
suggestions make sense. Parole, probation, work-release and other local
corrections programs can provide an appropriate level of punishment for
many nonviolent criminals, and the programs can be cost-effective.

Granted, defining nonviolent can be tricky. Some 77 percent of Alabama
inmates are serving sentences for drug, alcohol or property offenses, and
it's unlikely that all of them deserve to be released.

Nevertheless, judicious consideration and reliance on sound advice from
sentencing judges, prosecutors and law enforcement can lead parole board
members to distinguish those who should get out and those who shouldn't.

Making those determinations won't be without mistakes. Determining who's
ready for parole is never an exact science.

Nonetheless, with judicious use of an early release program, Alabama can
eventually have a more economical approach to corrections.