POPULATION GROWTH BEHIND BARS

The latest statistics out of Washington show that the nation has a
record number of inmates in its prisons and jails - 1.7 million, or
645 prisoners per 100,000 U.S. residents.

That is to be expected after the crime wave of the early '90s. That so
many crooks are locked up probably explains, at least in part, why the
crime rate has been plummeting.

Floridians can remember all too well how not long ago our state lacked
sufficient prisons to cope with the flow of convicts. State officials
initially responded by turning many of them out after serving
one-third or less of their sentences.

Public alarm gave starch to the political backbone, and the government
eventually faced up to the crisis. It built more prisons and passed a
law that requires inmates convicted of serious crimes to serve a
minimum of 85 percent of their sentences.

The streets are safer now. But many prisons and jails are still
overwhelmed. The report, published by the federal Bureau of Justice
Statistics, includes Hillsborough County among the 25 largest local
jail jurisdictions in the nation and says the jail population grew
from 2,536 in 1995 to 3,155 in 1997.

That increase pushed the county's jail population from 97 percent of
capacity to 110 percent of the number it was designed to hold. Too
much, but not nearly so crowded as Orange County, Calif., at 140
percent of capacity, or Atlanta's Fulton County, at 133 percent.
Fortunately, Hillsborough County is building a new jail to ease the
strain.

Nationally, law enforcement has turned to alternative sentences as
another strategy for coping with the influx of criminals. As a result,
the past three years have seen increases in the number of persons
sentenced to community service, electronic monitoring and weekend sentences.

All of this is good news for the law-abiding, but we hope the country
will take the next logical step in the battle against crime. Now that
we have the attention of 1.7 million inmates, let us make certain that
they have access to quality education, drug and alcohol treatment and
other guidance.

Florida prisons have programs to help inmates get a high school
equivalency diploma and life skills training to help them deal with
the demands of the world beyond prison walls. State prisons also offer
drug and alcohol treatment, plus computer training in some
institutions. So the inmates have opportunities to improve themselves.
Some of those 1.7 million inmates in the nation's prisons are fixed in
their criminal mind-set and beyond rehabilitation. Many more, though,
made mistakes out of ignorance, addiction or foolishness. They have
families who care about them and would be receptive to help. They
should have that chance.

Posted by: Allan Wilkinson