PRISON OVERCROWDING REQUIRES LONG-TERM FIX

A RECENT court order that requires state corrections officials to take
in 100 more prisoners a week (for a total of 275), and tells county
officials to quit dumping prisoners on the state, offers perhaps the
best short-term answer to Alabama's festering prison overcrowding
problems. For the long-term, though, state officials will have to
provide a comprehensive solution.

This latest action came earlier this week after a few frustrated
county sheriffs delivered 240 prisoners to the state -- unannounced.
State corrections officials say they don't have room for more
prisoners, and county sheriffs complain that their jails are
overcrowded, too.

Circuit Judge William Shashy wisely told officials there must be an
orderly process in the transfer of prisoners, so he halted the dumping
of prisoners on the state. But he also told state officials to step up
the transfers. He's also fining the state more than $2 million a month
for failing to transfer prisoners from the county jails fast enough.

The 1,600 or so prisoners in question are county jail inmates who have
been sentenced to state facilities but are waiting for prison beds.
The state is committed to transferring the inmates within 30 days of
sentencing, but it hasn't been doing that because it doesn't have the
room. Now, many county jails are overflowing. Baldwin County's jail,
for example, has over 100 more inmates than it should hold.

State prisons are out of space, too. Holding more than 27,000 inmates
in facilities designed to hold 13,000 has resulted in cramped sleeping
quarters and edgy prisoners. Moreover, a federal judge ruled Dec. 2
that overcrowding at the Tutwiler Prison for women in Wetumpka is
"unconstitutionally unsafe." U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson
ordered the state to reduce the overcrowding. Designed to hold 364
prisoners, Tutwiler has more than 1,000 inmates.

Judge Shashy recently underscored the risk: "We've got a problem," he
told state officials. "Don't y'all understand that? It's going to take
somebody getting killed for things to get better." We hope not.

Granted, the state has plans for a new 400-bed prison, stepped up
paroles, expanded alternative sentencing programs and more prisoner
work camps. But lack of funding and what appears to be lack of
political will have kept the plans padlocked.

Fortunately, the prison system could benefit if new sentencing
guidelines are approved next year. The Sentencing Institute is
expected to recommend alternative, community-based sentencing and
probation for nonviolent offenders, with the aim of freeing up space
for violent criminals.

Unfortunately, the institute's report is at least a year past due. One
of Gov.-elect Bob Riley's first actions in office should be to demand
the report so legislation can be passed in the next legislative
session. Mr. Riley also will have to confront the need for more money
in the corrections system for more probation officers, more parole
hearings, more prison beds, more community programs and more guards.
And it's likely that a tax increase will be needed to fund them.

The Register editorial board earlier criticized the proposed use of
tents, Quonset huts and old National Guard buildings as temporary
prisons -- all of which remain poor solutions to a problem that
demands long-term, comprehensive solutions. But with jails and prisons
at the breaking point, even pup tents would be better than doing nothing.