CORRECTIONS SECRETARY DEFENDS PAROLE SYSTEM AFTER CRITIQUE

The governor's Cabinet secretary in charge of corrections policy expressed
disagreement Friday with a report issued this week by the Legislative
Analyst's Office that ripped the state's parole system.

Tom Maddock, acting secretary of the Youth and Adult Correctional Agency,
said the report ignored a key fact associated with California's crime rate
in recent years: It's going down while incarceration of criminals is going
up.

"I think they missed the story," Maddock said. "We have strong indications
that the decreased crime rate is tied to the increased incarceration rate
of convicted felons. And we have very good evidence that the overwhelming
majority of parole violators who are returned to custody are doing so for
criminal activity.

"The LAO report said the failure of the state's parole system is costing
the state $1.8 billion a year, mostly for putting released offenders back
in prison after they commit new crimes or violate the technical conditions
placed on their freedom.

It recommended alternative, non-prison sanctions for lower-level offenders,
a shifting of parole agent resources to focus on high-risk criminals and a
cutback in the power exercised by the Board of Prison Terms.

Of the LAO recommendations, Maddock directed his harshest criticism at the
report's suggestion of virtually eliminating supervision of less-violent
offenders such as petty thieves and drug abusers and dealers.

"To take the quote-unquote, lower-level offender and reduce supervision is
an invitation for them to commit more crimes,"

Maddock said. "We can only revoke parole for the things for which they are
caught. If there's no supervision, they'll be on their own out there."

He said the administration of Gov. Pete Wilson is open to some non-prison
alternatives for non-violent offenders -- "the right sanction for the
conduct," he called it.

Meanwhile, Maddock said the Department of Corrections budget for the next
fiscal year calls for the addition of 1,100 "therapeutic community" drug
treatment beds throughout the prison system.

The new drug treatment beds would bring to nearly 3,000 the number
available statewide. The increase comes as a result of a pilot study at
R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County that demonstrated
radical reductions in recidivism rates for prisoners who go through the
treatment and follow it up when paroled.

"We should examine this huge expansion to see if the reduction in
recidivism continues at the same rate as the pilot program," Maddock said.

Copyright ) 1998 The Sacramento Bee