PRISON NOT THE PLACE FOR DRUG POSSESSORS

State lawmakers received recommendations from a state legislative
agency for battling the skyrocketing costs and increasing inmate population
in Oklahoma's prison system, and legislators should act on their proposals
when the Legislature convenes in February.

Oklahoma's inmate count has grown 106 percent in the past 16 years and
prison costs have increased 193 percent over the same period, according to
a report by the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource Center. The center
released its report and recommendations earlier this year, calling for the
elimination of mandatory prison sentences for those convicted of drug
possession.

Instead, the center recommended expanding drug rehabilitation services
because the top-ranked felony offense in the state for the last six years
has been drug possession. Those in possession of drugs accounted for 19
percent of the people receiving prison sentences in 2002.

If prisons were more successful at drug rehabilitation, perhaps that would
justify the more than $384 million spent this current fiscal year by the
Department of Corrections on housing inmates. The DOC, by the way, is
asking for an $18 million supplement to make ends meet.

But prisons don't appear to do much to end drug addiction, and legislators
should put more of our resources and money into treating people for
substance abuse than using prisons and our tax dollars to house drug
offenders with those who have committed violent crimes.

As Rep. Lucky Lamons, D-Tulsa, said, "We need to incarcerate the people
we're afraid of, not that we're mad at."

SIDEBAR

Two resource center recommendations Recommendation 2a: Mandatory minimum
prison sentences for drug possession should be eliminated in order to make
better use of prison beds. Offenders charged only with drug possession
should be presumptively sentenced to Drug Court, Community Sentencing or
probation. Funding should be provided to expand substance abuse treatment
programs for indigent offenders.

Recommendation 3: All mandatory minimum prison sentences for non-violent
felonies should be abolished, except for provisions of the Habitual
Offender Act.

You can find the full report of the Oklahoma Criminal Justice Resource
Center at www.ocjrc.net/Home.asp.