SENTENCING CHANGES COULD SAVE MONEY

South Carolina would save money and better serve inmates if it makes
some sentencing changes recommended by a commission that was created
by lawmakers in 2008.

The state Corrections Department has seen a tremendous increase in the
volume of inmates. According to data presented by the S.C. Sentencing
Reform Commission, the state's prison population has increased from
9,137 inmates in 1983 to more than 25,000 today. The department's
budget has increased by more than 500 percent in that same period from
$63.7 million in 1983 to $394.1 million in 2008.

Reducing inmate populations can save money -- it costs $14,000 a year
to house an inmate in South Carolina. The commission reports that its
sentencing recommendations could save $92 million in operating costs
over five years. Also, if prison populations continue to grow at
current rates, the state faces an expensive prison building project
that could cost taxpayers $317 million, the commission said. That
expense could be avoided by reducing inmate populations.

The reasons for these problems are clear. Nonviolent offenders make up
an increasing share of state prison inmates. According to the
commission, 49 percent of the state's inmates are being held for
nonviolent offenses. Offenders who have been sent back to prison by
the state Department of Probation, Pardon and Parole Services account
for another 24 percent of prison admissions -- and a majority of those
are sent back for violations such as failing to show up at the
probation office or alcohol use. Nonviolent drug offenders also make
up an increasing percentage of prison inmates.

There are better ways to deal with nonviolent offenders. Eliminating
mandatory prison sentences for some drug offenders, taking steps to
ensure paroled inmates don't reoffend, and implementing diversion
programs such as drug courts or arbitration are some. In its report,
the commission bluntly and correctly stated, "Prison space should be
reserved for violent criminals and those with violent
tendencies."

To that end it has made a series of 24 recommendations that deserve to
be considered by the Legislature.

The recommendations include revising or reducing the penalties for
drug-related offenses so fewer drug offenders are sent to prison;
revising the list of violent crimes to include offenses such as lewd
acts upon children, sexual exploitation of a minor and felony DUI
resulting in death so dangerous offenders are put behind bars where
they belong.

Another set of recommendations includes better supervision of inmates
after they're released and special parole for terminally ill or
geriatric inmates.

Finally, a portion of the recommendations focus on alternatives to
prison sentences for nonviolent offenders. These include establishing
options for community-based treatment and programs such as drug courts
that have proven effective here in Greenville. The commission also
recommends more clearly defining technical probation and parole
violations and enacting sanctions that don't include putting offenders
back in prison.

The list is lengthy, and some of the ideas will require careful
consideration to ensure they can be implemented in a way that protects
the community and benefits taxpayers, victims and Corrections employees.

Something needs to be done. It's no secret that the South Carolina
Corrections Department's budget is on an unsustainable course, despite
frugal fiscal management in recent years.

The Sentencing Commission has issued a commendable blueprint.
Legislators now need to use that blueprint to craft a plan that can
work for South Carolina. Given the current fiscal environment and the
prospect of millions of dollars being saved through sentencing reform,
that work needs to begin in earnest this legislative session.