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News (Media Awareness Project) - US TN: Editorial: Prison Policy Should Not Be Only Bricks
Title:US TN: Editorial: Prison Policy Should Not Be Only Bricks
Published On:2003-02-01
Source:Tennessean, The (TN)
Fetched On:2008-08-28 14:31:11
PRISON POLICY SHOULD NOT BE ONLY BRICKS, MORTAR

Tennessee's new governor shouldn't have to worry about the possibility of
wholesale release of prisoners if his administration gets behind a sensible
approach to corrections.

Faced with budget troubles that have convinced some governors to release
felons early, Gov. Phil Bredesen can seek better options and likely save
money at the same time.

One of the first decisions the governor faces is whether to build a prison
in Weakley County recommended by former Gov. Don Sundquist. The prison
would add as many as 1,900 beds, and a recommended addition to the Bledsoe
County facility would add another 700-900 beds. Those recommendations would
get Tennessee about a third of the way toward an expected demand for 7,097
beds by 2011. In the midst of its own budget crunch, Tennessee must
acknowledge that costly bricks and mortar aren't the only ways to a strong
correction program.

Other states have initiated home incarcerations, strict probation
requirements and alternative sentencing. Of course, applicants for such
programs are carefully screened, and eligibility is usually limited to
non-violent crimes.

Of special interest is the legislature's new enthusiasm for drug courts
which punish and correct behavior - something Tennessee's prison system
hasn't been able to claim for a long time. Sen. Joe Haynes said lawmakers
are open to expanding the drug court idea which has been so admirably
developed in Nashville by Judge Seth Norman. By redirecting first time drug
offenders, drug courts treat one of the biggest boons to crime - addiction.
By steering offenders into jobs, the program also aims at making former
felons productive citizens.

Drug courts, probation programs and other alternatives cost money, but they
remain a fraction of the $452 million a year Tennessee is paying to house
felons. And it costs nothing to look at other options.

The new governor has been adamant that Tennessee can find ways to save
within each department. Bredesen is a savvy enough businessman to know that
Tennessee's prisons are not cost-effective. He doesn't have to empty out
cells; he needs to make better use of them.
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