EAST TENNESSEE NEXT IN LINE FOR STATE PRISON FOR WOMEN

CHATTANOOGA - With the number of women in Tennessee prisons and jails almost
tripling over the past 12 years, state officials are looking at East
Tennessee as the site for a third women's correctional facility.

Currently, the state runs prisons for women in Nashville and Memphis. Both
were operating below their designated capacity in December, according to
Correction Department records, but officials are aware of the increasing
numbers of women being incarcerated.

In July 1990, 609 women were housed in Tennessee prisons or jails on felony
charges. That number jumped to 1,746 by October 2002, state records show.

According to the state's "Future Felon Population" report earlier this year,
the number of female inmates is expected to grow by 47.1 percent over 10
years. By comparison, the male prison population is only projected to
increase by 28.5 percent.

"As the female (inmate) population continues to increase, the next emphasis
should be in East Tennessee," said Linda Dodson, deputy commissioner for the
Tennessee Department of Correction.

Rep. Chris Clem, R-Lookout Mountain, said the state doesn't have enough
money to fund a new prison now, but "hopefully in two years there will be."

"I would be more than happy to consider funding a women's prison in East
Tennessee," Clem said.

Joann Morton, president of the Association of Programs for Female Offenders
and an author on the subject, said the rising number of female offenders has
been a national trend for the past 15 years.

"The change in the incarceration of females hasn't been related to changes
in women's behavior, but has been related to changes in crime control
policy, particularly the war on drugs," Morton said.

Along with prisons, jails are also feeling the effects of the increase.
Correction Department spokesman Steve Hayes said about 25 percent of female
felons are serving their sentences in local jails, and another 11 percent
are in jails awaiting transfer to state facilities.

In Chattanooga, the Silverdale Workhouse - certified to hold a maximum of
128 women - had 174 in mid-December, said Barbara Payne, director of
corrections for Hamilton County.

"Our increase has been tremendous," she said. "It's a daily process as to
where are we going to go next because (overcrowding) is a big problem in
Hamilton County."