NEW PANEL NEEDS SOMETHING TO DO

Gov. Ronnie Musgrove has named a new Parole Board.

Now, he needs to find something for the members to do.

The governor successfully lobbied the 2000 Legislature to extend the board's
life.

The need for such a panel was largely negated since the 1995 Legislature
imposed a so-called "Truth in Sentencing" law requiring state prison inmates
to serve 85 percent of their sentences.

The tough rules caused those eligible for parole to become fewer and the
panel was to expire July 1. But due to uncertainty over a federal court's
ruling on Mississippi's mounting prison crowding, lawmakers extended the
board's life until 2002.

Gov. Musgrove has now partly addressed the state's prison crowding by
filling all five slots on the board. But that's a futile gesture if
lawmakers don't change the 85-percent rule that keeps inmates backing up
into county jails.

Lawmakers in the regular session extended the life of the Parole Board but
didn't rescind the 85-percent rule.

As a result, U.S. Magistrate Jerry Davis last month imposed a $1.8 million
fine on the state for exceeding the court's orders on housing state inmates
in county jails.

Mississippi has built prisons at a furious rate. As a result, the Department
of Corrections budget has gone from $88 million in 1995 to about $240
million today.

Mississippi now has more than 19,000 inmates but the number is estimated to
reach 25,000 within the next five years. And the state can't build prisons
fast enough.

Even with new prison beds becoming available under the state's massive
prison building program, unless the rule is rescinded, the state will
violate the court's orders.

The state could receive the fine back if it stays in compliance. Mississippi
must pay the $1.8 million by Oct. 1.

Since the Legislature's next regular session isn't until next January, that
leaves the governor's anticipated special session on economic development
issues a likely time to complete unfinished business on prison crowding.

In order to solve the prison crowding crisis, not only must lawmakers
rescind the 85-percent rule, but to be effective, they must also allow
alternate sentencing, creation of drug courts and a public defender system.

Gov. Musgrove should give the Parole Board some work to do by adding prison
issues to his special session call on economic development, or set another
special session.

Neither he nor lawmakers got the prison crowding issue right the first time.