SEEKING ALTERNATIVES

THE ISSUE Lauderdale County's alternative sentencing program center opens
for business.

WE SUGGEST Other counties would do well to emulate Lauderdale's sustained,
determined effort to establish alternative program.

They're listening to alternative music this week in the Lauderdale County
Courthouse.

Not the kind with indecipherable, shouted (or moaned) lyrics and deep bass
notes. This kind comes with low-decibel words accompanied by the creak of
chair, the rasp of a sliding desk drawer, the whisper of papers going into
folders.

Those sounds are music to the ears of judges and others because they are
being generated in the newly opened office of the Lauderdale County
Community Corrections and Punishment Authority - a big name and a big step
for the county.

The office, with newly hired director Elizabeth Berry at the helm, will
oversee the county's work release center and all other aspects of its
alternative sentencing and prison diversion program.

With Alabama's corrections system still struggling to find a way to relieve
overcrowded and/or understaffed prisons, anything that keeps nonviolent
offenders off the inmate list is welcome.

Work release programs, such as the one in Lauderdale, have been around for
a while. Newer possibilities include drug courts and rehabilitation
opportunities for people arrested on drug-related charges.

The new office in the courthouse will work with people convicted of such
offenses as driving under the influence, theft and writing bad checks and
people who failed to pay court-ordered restitution or fines or child
support. Anyone with a violent offense, sex crime or drug-trafficking
charge is not eligible for the program.

Berry will work with a staff of nine work-release officers and three office
workers and a budget of $600,000 - money provided by the state Department
of Corrections.

Lauderdale County officials - Circuit Judge Mike Jones, in particular - are
to be congratulated for working steadily the last few years to get to this
point.

Jones has been a solid proponent of using alternative sentencing whenever
possible and, therefore, a supporter of establishing a community
corrections board and the program office under Berry's command as of this week.

Other counties have talked about alternative sentencing and drug courts,
but Lauderdale acted on the ideas, translating the concept into real-world
structure that should benefit both participants and community. This is a
common-sense approach that should be emulated by other counties.