GEORGE SAYS HE WOULD END PRISON BOOM

State Sen. Gary George (D-Milwaukee) said Thursday he would halt what has
become the biggest prison-building boom in Wisconsin history if he is
elected governor Nov. 3.

"I think the approach is wrong," George, one of two Democratic candidates
for governor in the Sept. 8 primary election, said in a meeting with Journal
Sentinel editors. "The problem hasn't been dealt with comprehensively.

"In the politics of demonization, it's easy to say, 'Let's build more
prisons, these are criminals,' " George added. "But I think the public would
be better served by crime prevention."

Instead of building more state prisons, George said he would push to add
1,000 more local police officers statewide. His plan is similar to one by
President Clinton that added 100,000 more police officers nationally, with
federal and local governments sharing the costs.

Also, George said local police departments need more high-technology tools
to fight crime. Milwaukee police officers need computers in their squad
cars, for example, he said.

In a debate Wednesday with his primary election opponent, Madison lawyer Ed
Garvey, George said he would end the current prison-building program. "I
would not build more prisons," he said.

Thursday, George again said the major problem is "intake," the swelling
number of criminals being sentenced to prison with major personal problems
such as drug and alcohol abuse, or who were victims of sexual assault or
abuse as children.

George said the response to those complicated personal issues should not
simply be building more prisons.

Almost every state prison has been expanded in the last 10 years, and new
prisons have opened or are under construction in Boscobel, Redgranite,
Racine, Black River Falls and Prairie du Chien. A 600-bed state facility
will open in Milwaukee, including 200 beds for probation and parole
violators.

In Wednesday's debate, Garvey also said that more must be done to attack
illiteracy and addiction problems of criminals. Garvey did not join George's
pledge not to build more state prisons, however. Whichever Democrat wins the
primary election is likely to face three-term Republican Gov. Tommy G.
Thompson, who has led the prison-building boom and successfully pushed to
have inmates sent to several out-of-state prisons and Texas county jails.
Soon, the state will have 13,300 prison beds, a 10% increase in just two
years.

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst