CORRECTIONS ALTERNATIVES AND THE BIG BUDGET PICTURE

A recent story about the growth in state prison spending in Wisconsin
caught the eye of state Rep. Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem.

The story appeared in one form or another in most of Wisconsin's daily
newspapers, and it was based on a study by the Wisconsin Taxpayers
Alliance.

The gist of the story was this: Between 1991-1992 through 2002-2004,
spending for adult corrections increased by 270 percent. Responding to
concerns about crime, the Legislature enacted mandatory minimum
sentences, known as "Truth in Sentencing," and other new criminal
penalties. Wisconsin also has built several new prisons since 1990.

According to the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, Wisconsin's capital
spending for prisons was among the highest in the country.

Here's Huebsch's concern: Even though corrections had large percentage
increases, it still remains far below education in terms of total
dollars spent. The total amount for corrections in 2004-05 fiscal year
is $989.3 million.

Huebsch said: "If you look at the amount of money we spent at the
state level in 1991-92 on K-12 spending, you would find, acccording to
the Legislative Fiscal Bureau informational paper available online, we
spent $1.481 billion. That's billion with a b."

In the 2001-2002 fiscal year, the state spent $4.6 billion on K-12
education, an increase of 210 percent since 1991.

Corrections amounts to about 20 percent of what we spend for
education, according to Huebsch.

But if you add the University of Wisconsin and Wisconsin technical
colleges, then that percentage becomes 10 percent.

"Keep in mind that this is only what the state spends on education,"
Huebsch said. "When you throw in local expenditures on education vs.
corrections, there is no comparison on where the priorities are in the
state of Wisconsin. Education is job No. 1 in Wisconsin."

It is important to keep state spending issues in proportion. But there
remain some issues to consider. Here's one: Wisconsin's crime rate is
lower than Minnesota's, but Minnesota has fewer inmates in its prisons
and jails.

That begs the question whether there are alternative sentences that
could be appropriate for some inmates, which could bring the
incarceration rate down.

In addition, a recent series of stories in the Milwaukee Journal
Sentinel has raised questions about the impact of Wisconsin's
mandatory sentencing laws on the prison population.

The Journal Sentinel also reported that mandatory sentencing, by
eliminating the possibility of early release, has increased
hopelessness and bad conduct on the part of inmates.

The issue of alternative sentencing has an impact on county jails as
well as state prisons. For example, La Crosse County is considering
building more new jail space. Are there things we could do to cut down
on the number of new prison beds needed?

Huebsch has raised some good points about how we talk about
corrections spending. We need to keep things in perspective, and
consider the broader budget issues.

But we also need to be open to the possibility that there are
alternative approaches to corrections spending.