PUBLIC SAFETY ISN'T CHEAP

Monday's paper had an alarming (but not surprising) story about the number
of prisoners being released early from Alabama prisons.

Staff Writer Meg Pirnie reported that drug dealers who had been sentenced
to from 30 years to life in prison are serving only a few years before
being paroled. Arsonists and burglars, given life terms, were out in less
than four years. A woman with 15 DUI convictions served less than a year...
and spent less than a week outside bars before she was driving drunk again.

Of course it's alarming. But it shouldn't be surprising. Gov. Bob Riley
warned Alabamians that if the state's tax system wasn't reformed, some
drastic cuts would have to be made in services. One of those services is
public safety, which isn't exactly hurting for customers these days.

"When you have space for 12,000 prisoners and have more than twice that
number in the system, something has to give," said Russell County District
Attorney Ken Davis.

Alabama isn't unique. Many states, including Georgia, have prison-crowding
problems. It's physics. If prisons are full and people keep committing
crimes, and keep being sentenced to prison, then you have two choices:
build more prisons or parole more prisoners. If you don't have money for
new prisons, then you're suddenly left with only Plan B. And there's a good
reason that's not Plan A.

"It means the crime rate is going to pick back up," said Russell County
Sheriff Tommy Boswell. "We'll arrest these folks, and in a year, they'll be
back out no matter what their charge.

"The people of Russell County will pay for the state's underfunding through
the loss of property and a decrease in public safety."

They will, as will the people of all Alabama's counties. It's a statewide
problem, and it will have to be addressed on that scale.

Alabama lawmakers are going to have to do a better job of streamlining
areas of government that don't so directly affect public safety, if it is
at all possible. But even if it is possible, don't expect that to solve the
problem by itself.

Alabama will have to look at creative approaches -- alternative sentencing,
drug treatment, etc., to help lighten the incoming load on the prison system.

But that isn't likely to solve the problem, either.

Alabama taxpayers are going to have to entertain the notion that more taxes
may be needed. The old bromide that says you don't solve problems by
throwing money at them doesn't always apply. When the problem is a lack of
money, that's exactly what you have to do.

- -- Michael Owen, for the editorial board