NAISHTAT ADDRESSES TEXAS' LARGE PRISON POPULATION

Texas could reduce its prison population by easing drug laws and sentences,
said State Rep. Elliot Naishtat, D-Austin, at a Capitol press conference
Tuesday.

"The biggest contributing factor to the burgeoning prison population -- both
nationwide and in Texas -- has been crimes of possession or low-level
dealing," said Naishtat, adding that the number of drug offenders in prison
doubled between 1990-2000 and has cost taxpayers more than $5 billion
annually.

Naishtat's announcement comes on the heels of a study released in December
by the Justice Policy Institute that reveals the United States is second to
Russia in the number of people behind bars. The institute, a nonprofit,
Washington D.C.-based organization that aims to decrease the number of those
incarcerated, estimated that the current population of U.S. prisons rose to
2 million Tuesday.

The increase in prisoners since 1970 is unprecedented, with the number of
people jailed jumping from 196,429 in 1970 to 2 million today, according to
the institute. In Texas, the number of prisoners held by the Texas
Department of Corrections increased from approximately 39,000 in 1988 to
151,216 currently.

A 1989 study by the Texas Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse revealed that
63 percent of inmates are either substance-dependent or abusers, and 39
percent of those jailed claimed to be drunk or high at the time of the
offense.

"Our efforts to stop the flow of drugs into the United States have not
resulted in diminished availability, or meaningfully affected the quality of
the drugs on the street," Naishtat said, adding that drug addiction is a
medical problem, not a criminal issue.

Glen Castlebury, director of public information for the Texas Department of
Criminal Justice, said the average stay in prison has lengthened, thus
resulting in the higher prison population. Those released in 1999 were in
prison an average of 8.0 years, but those admitted into prison the same year
were handed sentences averaging 8.1 years.

Castlebury added that nonviolent and first-time offenders are usually given
shorter sentences.

"We aim rehabilitation towards people with nonviolent crimes to stop them
from coming right back," Castlebury said, adding that the department spends
less money to rehabilitate prisoners with longer sentences because they are
less likely to commit crimes when released.

Naishtat said ultimately the citizens of Texas should lobby to change laws
that they perceive to be ineffective.

"In the end it will be up to the voters of Texas, the taxpayers, to say how
their money is going to be spent and to hold the government accountable for
the effectiveness of its laws," Naishtat said.