PRISON PROBLEMS CALL FOR ALTERNATIVES

Although there is little comfort to be taken from the fact, it is worth
noting that the prison overcrowding concerns that plague Alabama are not
unique to the state.

Although there is little comfort to be taken from the fact, it is worth
noting that the prison overcrowding concerns that plague Alabama are not
unique to the state. A recent report from the U.S. Department of Justice
finds incarceration is up almost everywhere, with the nation's prison
population topping 2 million for the first time last year.

The report is loaded with figures, but there is the inescapable conclusion
that two key elements in this trend are incarceration for drug users and
increased sentences -- often life sentences -- for repeat offenders.

Prison is the proper place for violent offenders, to be sure, but Alabama
and other states have to question whether locking up nonviolent offenders,
notably drug users, really makes any sense. Alternative sentences that are
less costly and more productive are the better course.

In addition to alternative sentencing, Alabama needs realistic sentencing
that more closely reflects the actual time to be served. Wide sentencing
ranges -- two to 20 years, for example -- for some categories of crime can
result in sharply different sentences for similar offenses, which is unjust.

As Alabama wrestles with its prison problems, which have festered for
years, a fundamental re-evaluation of what the state is trying to
accomplish is surely warranted.