PRISONS - CROWDING PROBLEM DEMANDS SOLUTION

Only two weeks remain until the 2000 Legislature is history, and one of
this session's major items remains unresolved: Mississippi's overcrowded
prison system.

As with most legislation that goes unresolved until the last part of a
session, whatever decision is made most likely will come behind closed doors.

A conference committee of senators and representatives will attempt to
produce a compromise for lawmakers of each chamber to consider.

Based on the bills passed by each chamber (Senate Bill 2800 and House Bill
55), the will of the Legislature regarding overcrowding seems to be that
inmates should "earn" early release one way or another.

That's a valid concept and should be incorporated. But it won't solve the
prisoner influx on the Corrections Department by the 1995 Legislature's
"Truth in Sentencing" law that requires an inmate to serve 85 percent of a
sentence.

As long as ever more prisoners are pumped into the pipeline to Parchman, it
matters very little if a handful of inmates here and a handful there gets
early release.

That "85 percent rule" was adopted to meet federal requirements. But
lawmakers went too far, imposing the rule on all crimes, not just serious ones.

As a result, the Department of Corrections' budget has grown from about $80
million to $245 million in six years, with the inmate population zooming
from about 5,000 to about 17,000 - and growing. Mississippi can't build
prisons fast enough.

To stem the tide, alternate sentencing - at the front end of the
corrections system - must be enacted; more drug courts and drug treatment
must be included. Alternate sentencing will take planning and money (though
not nearly as much as building more prisons and housing more inmates).

Attorney General Mike Moore has offered to hold a crime summit this summer
to craft long-range solutions. It may be too much to expect long-term,
wide-ranging solutions at this late date in the legislative session.

But it can't be stressed enough that time is running out, both in this
session and in the state's ability to deal with the overflow of state
inmates into county jails.

To meet the crisis, lawmakers must approve a process of early release of
some prisoners now and agree to long-range sentencing options developed by
Moore in coming months.