GOVERNOR FINALLY WANTS PRISON REFORM

There may yet be a silver lining behind the calamitous $41 billion
state budget deficit. It may force policy changes and budget cuts for
a once-untouchable area of spending: state prisons.

Faced with uncontrolled prison costs and a panel of federal judges
poised to place a cap on the prison population, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger is proposing to eliminate parole for nonviolent
offenders. Doing so, along with additional early-release credits for
inmates who complete vocational and education programs, would slow the
revolving door of parole violators needlessly returned to prison. And
that, in turn, would reduce prison crowding and save nearly $600
million - the bulk of the 8.7 percent Schwarzenegger plans to cut from
the $9.6 billion Corrections Department budget.

The governor must be doing this under duress. Two years ago, he jammed
through a compliant Legislature a $9 billion bond for prison expansion
that, fortunately, remains stalled. Schwarzenegger also has fought the
establishment of a sentencing commission that no doubt would recommend
changes in parole laws.

But credit him with finally advocating reform. He's also proposing to
use money from a tax increase on alcoholic drinks to fund prison drug
and alcohol treatment programs.

Schwarzenegger apparently can count on support from Democrats. They
included similar provisions in their $18 billion budget deal now in
limbo for other reasons.

All prisoners currently face three to five years of probation after
their release, no matter what the crime. This leads to tens of
thousands of nonviolent inmates being sent back to prison each year on
technical violations. It's a principal reason why the number of
inmates has exploded to 172,000 and California has the nation's
largest parole population and recidivism rate.

Eliminating parole for nonviolent, nonserious and nonsex offenders
would align California with most other states. The administration
estimates it would more than halve the parole population of 123,000
and cut prison population by 15,000 by June 2010.

The Legislature should tweak the plan to exclude some offenses, like
stalking, for which there should be parole. But, contrary to claims by
the prison guards union, dropping parole for nonviolent crimes won't
endanger the public. Quite the opposite: Parole officers will focus on
the most dangerous offenders. The current system, as one penal expert
has said, maximizes the risk to the community and expenses to the
state. What the union fears is the loss of overtime pay and membership
when prisons start shrinking.

Schwarzenegger's plan may not satisfy the three federal judges who are
considering what to do about the state's failure to give prisoners
adequate medical care. They may want more inmates released to ease
crowding.

But it marks a drastic shift in state policy that for decades
consisted of piling on sentences for crimes without making streets
safer. The cost has finally caught up with us.