BRING OUR INMATES HOME

Wisconsin easily ranks as the champ among states in one export: prison
inmates. It keeps three times as many convicts locked up outside its
borders as does the nearest competitor.

No reason for pride, this ranking. And Gov. Tommy Thompson and Corrections
Secretary Jon Litscher aren't bragging. Litscher is keeping Thompson's vow
to bring home the 350 women inmates the state houses elsewhere. The prison
chief also expressed the hope that he could begin to return the 4,700 men
stewing out of state.

That's a laudable goal. Keeping inmates far away from their families
hampers rehabilitation. Trouble is, attaining the goal lies mostly out of
Litscher's hands. The Legislature made this mess; the Legislature must fix it.

The state's prisons continue to overflow - despite a hectic pace of
construction and a steady drop in crime - all because legislators can't
resist the temptation to toughen laws, a surefire way to win elections. In
some cases, sterner sentences are apt. But the Legislature has relied too
heavily on that approach, at the expense of other methods for keeping the
streets safe.

Lawmakers would sooner arrest drug users than treat them, for instance. The
politicians pay too little heed to abused children, from whose ranks
criminals disproportionately hail. And the legislators ignore a vital
aspect of corrections - easing offenders back into the community in a
manner that discourages their return to crime.

Noting that Wisconsin's 11% rise in the total number of prison inmates was
the second highest among the states last year, Sen. Gwendolynne Moore
(D-Milwaukee) has given Thompson seven worthwhile recommendations for
slowing the growth. Among other steps, she would enhance the supervision of
offenders in the community; divert more non-violent, drug-related offenders
into alternatives to prison; and expand programs that help offenders with
mental illness. The governor should pay heed.

Surprisingly, the state's inmate ranks are not growing as fast this year as
last. What's more, new prisons are coming on line. These developments give
the governor and the Legislature breathing room, which they should use to
devise a strategy for bringing Wisconsin's out-of-state prisoners home.