PRISONS REMAIN LOW PRIORITY

Oklahomans say the state should spend more money on education and roads,
but building more prisons is not a high spending priority, a survey
commissioned by a criminal reform group in dicates.

The most significant finding in the survey is that numerous categories rank
well above corrections, as far as where the people want their money spent,
Sen. Cal Hobson said.

The Lexington Demo crat, who has been working on prison budgets for several
years, is chair man of the Senate sub committee that determines where
corrections dollars go.

The survey conducted by Tom Kielhorn and Associates was commissioned for
$15,000 in private money provided by the Criminal Reform Steering
Committee. Results have an error margin of plus or minus 5 percentage
points.

In the past, Thomas Kielhorn and Associates has done polling for Democratic
candidates. Cole, Snodgrass and Associ ates, the political consult ing firm
of Secretary of State Tom Cole, often does polling for Republicans but has
not done a recent poll on tru the-in-sentencing prison reform.

The Criminal Reform Steering Committee, which includes Hobson and a few
other lawmakers working on tru the-in-sentencing reforms, commissioned the
study to determine the publics attitudes on spending. Five hundred
Oklahomans -- Democrats and Republicans -- were polled in January before
the start of the legislative session.

The survey results come at a time when seri ous, closed-door budget
meetings will begin at the state Capitol. Only a handful of Democratic
legislative leaders will be allowed into that first round of negotiations
between House Speaker Loyd Benson, D-Frederick, and Senate President Pro
Tempore Stratton Taylor, D-Claremore.

When the arguments are settled, the top lead ers will emerge to allocate
the so-called new money to subcommit tees. New money refers to the revenues
that will be available over last years $4.4 billion state budget.
Indications are $60 mil lion to $90 million more will be forthcoming.

Chief benefactors of the new money will likely include common and higher
education, roads and corrections.

Typically, the Senate wants to spend more money on education, while the
House already has passed a tough tru th-in-sentencing corrections bill that
could be costly. It calls for locking up more serious criminals for a
longer amount of time.

Another component of truth-in-sentencing legis lation is that those
convicted of lesser crimes will be sent back to their communities for jail
time and rehabilitation. The cost of that aspect in proposed House Bill
2927 has not been determined.

Both the House and Senate joined with the governor last year to pass a
sweeping road-building program that will be com ing to fruition this year
- -- just in time for general elections this fall. The politicians --
including the governor -- will be able to point to the transportation pork
they brought home to the state.

Last year, the leaders committed $40 million for the upcoming road program
this year alone, said Rep. James Hamil ton, D-Poteau. He is chairman of the
powerful House Budget and Appro priations Committee.

Also committed this year is another $28 mil lion designated last year to
pay the salaries of more prison guards and about 2,000 more private prison
beds.

Meanwhile, the survey indicates that although Oklahomans are concerned
about crime, 71 percent of the people questioned said they think the
Legislature should spend more on common education.

Also, 66 percent said they support increases for childrens programs; health
services, 64 per cent; and roads and high ways, 61 percent.

One in four surveyed (24 percent) said we should spend less on prisons,
Hobson said.

The Kielhorn results are similar to findings in a poll commissioned by The
Oklahoman prior to 1994 elections.

That poll conducted by the Center for Economic and Management Re search at
the University of Oklahoma found that 59.9 per cent of the voters said they
would spend more money to improve education, while 31.9 per cent said they
would spend more to fight crime.

Hobson blasted educa tion leaders for sleeping at the switch. While
sheriffs and district attor neys came to the Capitol almost daily, Hobson
said education leaders were absent. Those comments prompted both higher and
common education supporters to muster their forces last week.

OU President David Bo ren and Oklahoma State University President James
Halligan chastised the Legislature for its spending priorities.

Both officials claimed that economic develop ment in Oklahoma would be
stunted if more money is not earmarked for the states 25 public colleges
and universities.

Common education forces got into the act, complaining that poul try, pigs,
potholes and prisons are getting all of the attention, said Carolyn
Crowder, president of the Oklahoma Education Association.

Although problems with the chicken and hog industries have prompted
considerable attention, they are not huge fund ing items in the upcoming
budget -- in the neighborhood of $5 mil lion was proposed for the
Agriculture Department to regulate the indus tries.

Last week, House leader Danny Hilliard, D-Sulphur, joined the fray over
spending priori ties. Hilliard is chairman of the House Budget sub
committee on public safety and transporta tion.

Although higher edu cation is unquestionably an important component of our
economy, there are other ingredients that must be addressed, he said.

We need more high ways and better roads and bridges in our rural areas if
we intend to boost Oklahomas econ omy.

As for increased spend ing on corrections, Hilli ard said voters, crime
victims, judges and pros ecutors, sheriffs and po lice chiefs throughout
the state have made it abun dantly clear to us that they favor the concept
of truth in sentencing.

The Kielhorn survey indicated that nearly half of all Oklahomans have
little or no awareness of truth in sentencing.

The poll found that only 11 percent report having read or heard a great
deal about the is sue.

The survey indicated that 90 percent of those questioned agree that violent
criminals should serve 85 percent of their term in prison, a key component
of this years proposed truth-in-sen tencing bill.

At the same time, 73 percent said they favor locking up nonviolent of
fenders for up to a year in local jails, rather than prison.

Hobson said serious de cisions regarding truth in sentencing still must be
made. He said House members and some sena tors are contemplating a
corrections bond issue that could be presented to a vote of the people.

That would mean the public could decide, and lawmakers couldnt be faulted
in fall elections for making the wrong de cision.