PRISONS NOT HALF EMPTY

The New York State Correctional Officers Benevolent Association which
represents the state's correctional officers are absolutely correct in
their effort to make the public aware that the state's prisons are
still at maximum capacity.

NYSCOBA points out the state's maximum-security prisons are actually
at 124 percent capacity and the medium security prisons are at 107
percent capacity. Many state legislatures believe the state's prisons
are half-empty and that the state could close the budget gap by
closing prisons and easing the state's drug laws. I think that would
be a major mistake. It appears that we already have too many repeaters
put on probation when a year in a state correction facility might just
get their attention much quicker.