PRISONS: LEAVING A GROWING DEBT TO SOCIETY

Back in the 1990s, Mississippi's lawmakers went on a get-tough-on-crime binge.

They passed the so-called "truth-in-sentencing" law which requires inmates
to serve 85 percent of their sentences, despite warnings that the law was
not only going to be tough on lawbreakers, it was going to be a costly pill
for the taxpayers to swallow.

The legislators even went so far to prove just how tough on crime they were
that they passed a law requiring inmates to wear stripped uniforms, a bill
that alone cost the taxpayers of this state $1 million.

Now the predictable is happening. The Mississippi Department of
Correction's budget, which was $203 million in 1998 has increased to $282
million with a $32 million deficit request in 2003. The budget for 2004,
which will go into effect in July, is $296 million and it's expected to
keep on rising unless our legislators do something to cut prison costs.

Fortunately, some of the lawmakers have the good sense to at least try to
whittle down a few of the prison costs. One bill would allow prison
trusties to receive 30 days of trusty time, rather than 10 for each 30 days
served, which would lead to quicker releases. A second bill would remove
the 180-day cap from meritorious earned time inmates can accumulate for
earlier release.

Combined, passage of the two bills will save the state as much as $18
million annually, according to Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps.

The system has already saved $11.6 million from a law that went into effect
on July 1, 2001, that reduces mandatory prison sentences to 25 percent for
certain nonviolent offenders.

Mississippi's lawmakers should not only adopt the two current bills, they
should continue to look at other ways to significantly bring prison costs
back into line.

Right now 49.34 percent of the state's criminal offenders are in prison
rather than on probation and parole, which is more than double the national
incarceration rate of 23.16 percent.

We're not in favor of releasing dangerous criminals back into the community
before they've served a substantial part of their terms, but judged by
national standards there appears to be room for further cost-cutting.

Let's face it, when the prisoners' debt to society starts leaving society
in debt over its head, it's time to do something different.