SPOKESMAN: PRISON CUTS COULD RAISE CRIME RATE

Slashing the Texas prisons budget to save money could jeopardize inmate
medical care and rehabilitation programs for sex, drug and alcohol
offenders, resulting in more crime and potential constitutional conflicts,
according to an agency letter sent to state leaders. In addition to cuts in
inmate services, some 800 people could lose their jobs if the Texas
Department of Criminal Justice cuts 7 percent of this year's budget as the
governor has requested.

The department must slash $172 million over the rest of 2003.

The agency said correctional officers and parole officers would not lose
their jobs but counselors and medical workers might be let go to cut costs.
A list of potential cuts submitted to state leaders included: limiting
inmate health care services, eliminating college course for inmates,
cutting or eliminating drug and alcohol abuse programs, eliminating
security at parole offices and ending to sex offender rehabilitation.

TDCJ spokesman Larry Todd warned that the cuts could lead to inmates
committing more crimes after they're released from prison. "A huge, vast
majority of the people who come to us have some type of substance abuse
problems and they don't just get over it cold turkey," he explained. "They
have to have some kind of counseling. They are going to come back to those
communities at some time. So do we try to rehabilitate or do we just lock
them up and let them loose to go back to the same wave of crime they might
have committed before?"

The pressure to cut comes as the inmate population is growing.

The state has room for 151,470 inmates and currently has about 147,300. The
prison system is expected to reach capacity by August.