http://www.parade.com/news/2009/03/how-would-you-change-our-prison-system.html
Please Leave Your Comments....I want to know what you think????
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
I Couldn't Have Said it Any Better
http://community2.myfoxaustin.com/_PRISONS-IN-US-OVERCROWED/BLOG/232982/82263.html
Get-tough policies that lock up offenders for longer sentences are propelling a projected increase of nearly 200,000 in the nation's prison population in the next five years, according a private study released Wednesday.
The increase - projected by the Pew Charitable Trusts study to be three times faster than overall population growth in the U.S. - is expected to cost states more than $27 billion.
"As a country, we have a problem," said Susan Urahn, managing director of policy initiatives for the Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the study by its Public Safety Performance Project.
The study is the first of its kind to project prison populations in every state through 2011, based on state projections, current criminal justice policies and demographic trends.
Urahn said she hopes states use the study to prepare for the future - either by building more prisons or by adopting policies to slow the growth through alternative forms of punishment.
The projections, she said, are not inevitable. They can be altered by state policies as well as economic and cultural changes.
"What we have seen is there are a growing number of states really focused, not on being tough on crime or soft on crime, but on being smart about crime," Urahn said. "Every state faces unique circumstance and challenges."
There are more than 1.5 million inmates in the nation's state and federal prisons, a number that is projected to grow to more than 1.7 million by the end of 2011, a 13 percent increase. The nation's population, by comparison, is projected to grow by 4.5 percent in that time.
States are projected to spend up to $27.5 billion on the new inmates, including $12.5 billion in construction costs, according to the study.
Men far outnumber women in prison - nearly 14 to 1. But in the next five years, the number of women inmates is projected to increase by 16 percent compared with a 12 percent increase for men.
Florida is projected to add the most prisoners, about 16,000, followed by California, Texas, Arizona and Ohio.
New York, Connecticut and Delaware are the only states with no projected growth in the number of inmates. All three are projected to have stable inmate populations.
Florida's prison population has been growing since the 1980s, when many inmates had to be released early because of crowding problems, said William Bales, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University.
Since then, the state has eased crowding by building more prisons and changing the way it sentences offenders, Bales said. The state eliminated parole and other forms of early release, but only 20 percent of those eligible for prison are sent there, he said. Instead, many lesser offenders are sentenced to home confinement and required to wear electronic monitoring devices.
"But if you go to prison, you will go for a long time," Bales said.
In Connecticut, the state reversed years of crowding problems in part by investing in programs for inmates who are about to re-enter society. The state also increased the number of probation officers to monitor those who have been released.
"Truth in sentencing, three strikes and you're out - it looks great on paper, but try to make it work," said Connecticut Rep. Michael Lawlor, a Democrat and co-chairman of the state legislature's Judiciary Committee.
Lawlor, a former prosecutor, said Connecticut lawmakers focused on ways to reduce recidivism rather than campaign pledges to get tough on criminals. As a result, he said, crime rates have dropped along with incarceration rates.
"There's a pretty long list of people who deserve to be locked up forever, but it's not the majority of people in prison," Lawlor said. "If you can get people into a room instead of a campaign debate it's really easy to come to consensus.
Get-tough policies that lock up offenders for longer sentences are propelling a projected increase of nearly 200,000 in the nation's prison population in the next five years, according a private study released Wednesday.
The increase - projected by the Pew Charitable Trusts study to be three times faster than overall population growth in the U.S. - is expected to cost states more than $27 billion.
"As a country, we have a problem," said Susan Urahn, managing director of policy initiatives for the Pew Charitable Trusts, which funded the study by its Public Safety Performance Project.
The study is the first of its kind to project prison populations in every state through 2011, based on state projections, current criminal justice policies and demographic trends.
Urahn said she hopes states use the study to prepare for the future - either by building more prisons or by adopting policies to slow the growth through alternative forms of punishment.
The projections, she said, are not inevitable. They can be altered by state policies as well as economic and cultural changes.
"What we have seen is there are a growing number of states really focused, not on being tough on crime or soft on crime, but on being smart about crime," Urahn said. "Every state faces unique circumstance and challenges."
There are more than 1.5 million inmates in the nation's state and federal prisons, a number that is projected to grow to more than 1.7 million by the end of 2011, a 13 percent increase. The nation's population, by comparison, is projected to grow by 4.5 percent in that time.
States are projected to spend up to $27.5 billion on the new inmates, including $12.5 billion in construction costs, according to the study.
Men far outnumber women in prison - nearly 14 to 1. But in the next five years, the number of women inmates is projected to increase by 16 percent compared with a 12 percent increase for men.
Florida is projected to add the most prisoners, about 16,000, followed by California, Texas, Arizona and Ohio.
New York, Connecticut and Delaware are the only states with no projected growth in the number of inmates. All three are projected to have stable inmate populations.
Florida's prison population has been growing since the 1980s, when many inmates had to be released early because of crowding problems, said William Bales, associate professor of criminology and criminal justice at Florida State University.
Since then, the state has eased crowding by building more prisons and changing the way it sentences offenders, Bales said. The state eliminated parole and other forms of early release, but only 20 percent of those eligible for prison are sent there, he said. Instead, many lesser offenders are sentenced to home confinement and required to wear electronic monitoring devices.
"But if you go to prison, you will go for a long time," Bales said.
In Connecticut, the state reversed years of crowding problems in part by investing in programs for inmates who are about to re-enter society. The state also increased the number of probation officers to monitor those who have been released.
"Truth in sentencing, three strikes and you're out - it looks great on paper, but try to make it work," said Connecticut Rep. Michael Lawlor, a Democrat and co-chairman of the state legislature's Judiciary Committee.
Lawlor, a former prosecutor, said Connecticut lawmakers focused on ways to reduce recidivism rather than campaign pledges to get tough on criminals. As a result, he said, crime rates have dropped along with incarceration rates.
"There's a pretty long list of people who deserve to be locked up forever, but it's not the majority of people in prison," Lawlor said. "If you can get people into a room instead of a campaign debate it's really easy to come to consensus.
Virginia US Senator Jim Webb's Bill...WOW what a Concept!
This is taken from his web site
http://webb.senate.gov/email/criminaljusticereform.html
The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 that I introduced in the Senate on March 26, 2009 will create a blue-ribbon commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to bottom. I believe that it is time to bring together the best minds in America to confer, report, and make concrete recommendations about how we can reform the process.
Why We Urgently Need this Legislation:
With 5% of the world's population, our country now houses 25% of the world's reported prisoners.
Incarcerated drug offenders have soared 1200% since 1980.
Four times as many mentally ill people are in prisons than in mental health hospitals.
Approximately 1 million gang members reside in the U.S., many of them foreign-based; and Mexican cartels operate in 230+ communities across the country.
Post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent, undermining public safety and making it extremely difficult for ex-offenders to become full, contributing members of society.
America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace. Its irregularities and inequities cut against the notion that we are a society founded on fundamental fairness. Our failure to address this problem has caused the nation's prisons to burst their seams with massive overcrowding, even as our neighborhoods have become more dangerous. We are wasting billions of dollars and diminishing millions of lives. We need to fix the system. Doing so will require a major nationwide recalculation of who goes to prison and for how long and of how we address the long-term consequences of incarceration.
For More info here is a Fact Sheet on the Bill:
http://webb.senate.gov/email/incardocs/FactSheeti.pdf
When Calling and writing AZ Government Leaders tell them you support Senator Jim Webb's Criminal Commissions ACT of 2009
http://webb.senate.gov/email/criminaljusticereform.html
The National Criminal Justice Commission Act of 2009 that I introduced in the Senate on March 26, 2009 will create a blue-ribbon commission to look at every aspect of our criminal justice system with an eye toward reshaping the process from top to bottom. I believe that it is time to bring together the best minds in America to confer, report, and make concrete recommendations about how we can reform the process.
Why We Urgently Need this Legislation:
With 5% of the world's population, our country now houses 25% of the world's reported prisoners.
Incarcerated drug offenders have soared 1200% since 1980.
Four times as many mentally ill people are in prisons than in mental health hospitals.
Approximately 1 million gang members reside in the U.S., many of them foreign-based; and Mexican cartels operate in 230+ communities across the country.
Post-incarceration re-entry programs are haphazard and often nonexistent, undermining public safety and making it extremely difficult for ex-offenders to become full, contributing members of society.
America's criminal justice system has deteriorated to the point that it is a national disgrace. Its irregularities and inequities cut against the notion that we are a society founded on fundamental fairness. Our failure to address this problem has caused the nation's prisons to burst their seams with massive overcrowding, even as our neighborhoods have become more dangerous. We are wasting billions of dollars and diminishing millions of lives. We need to fix the system. Doing so will require a major nationwide recalculation of who goes to prison and for how long and of how we address the long-term consequences of incarceration.
For More info here is a Fact Sheet on the Bill:
http://webb.senate.gov/email/incardocs/FactSheeti.pdf
When Calling and writing AZ Government Leaders tell them you support Senator Jim Webb's Criminal Commissions ACT of 2009
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Not So Good News
http://azleg.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=13&clip_id=5030&publish_id=&event_id=
This was a meeting on 3/17 after the 3/6 budget proposal draft was created by the DOC.
The agenda for both the house and senate in regards to department of corrections budget cuts and the video footage of this meeting. (You can just click on Department of Corrections to skip over the Judiciary)
The first guy that's talking is Martin Lorenzo, he is the budget advisory chairperson for DOC.
Charles Ryan, the DOC director is the next to speak in regards to cutting the inmate/CO ratios.
Last to speak is Dr. Mike Dolny he just gives more statistics on house arrest.
They have yet to, at this point, even discuss the truth-in-sentencing.....and by the sounds of it, they are NOT going to look at releasing "bad guys back on the streets, just because there is a budget crisis right now"
There is a heated disscussion between one of the representatives and one of the senators about other "options" to reduce the budget, they don't go into much detail but one can assume they are talking about releasing inmates.
PS I did find out, however, I could still be misunderstanding, what ever is put in the budget doesn't have to be passed into a bill, they will just strike the current bill and revise it based on the need to uphold the budget.
Unrelated, the HB that takes tobacco from inmates looks like it passed...
This was a meeting on 3/17 after the 3/6 budget proposal draft was created by the DOC.
The agenda for both the house and senate in regards to department of corrections budget cuts and the video footage of this meeting. (You can just click on Department of Corrections to skip over the Judiciary)
The first guy that's talking is Martin Lorenzo, he is the budget advisory chairperson for DOC.
Charles Ryan, the DOC director is the next to speak in regards to cutting the inmate/CO ratios.
Last to speak is Dr. Mike Dolny he just gives more statistics on house arrest.
They have yet to, at this point, even discuss the truth-in-sentencing.....and by the sounds of it, they are NOT going to look at releasing "bad guys back on the streets, just because there is a budget crisis right now"
There is a heated disscussion between one of the representatives and one of the senators about other "options" to reduce the budget, they don't go into much detail but one can assume they are talking about releasing inmates.
PS I did find out, however, I could still be misunderstanding, what ever is put in the budget doesn't have to be passed into a bill, they will just strike the current bill and revise it based on the need to uphold the budget.
Unrelated, the HB that takes tobacco from inmates looks like it passed...
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Burnt Out
I can't do this any more. It's not in my hands anyways. I'm just one person and I can't do it alone. Whatever happens, will happen...I just give up.
I hate visitaton, it's like cruel torture. The phone calls are nice, but they only last so long, and cost so much. Writing, I can't even pick up a pen and think of anything to say...my mind is blank.
What if this whole truth-in-sentencing thing doesn't change. So, we've got a year left. I met a man that goees to my church that spent time in Alcatraz and Leavenworth Prison in KS he's 80 yrs old. Said he could do one year standing on his head. He spent 12 years in prison. Puts our situation a bit in perspective.
I just hate prison, and I am burnt out....I love my husband and I will wait for hm, but I don't like it.
God Please let him come home September 1st, 2009.
I hate visitaton, it's like cruel torture. The phone calls are nice, but they only last so long, and cost so much. Writing, I can't even pick up a pen and think of anything to say...my mind is blank.
What if this whole truth-in-sentencing thing doesn't change. So, we've got a year left. I met a man that goees to my church that spent time in Alcatraz and Leavenworth Prison in KS he's 80 yrs old. Said he could do one year standing on his head. He spent 12 years in prison. Puts our situation a bit in perspective.
I just hate prison, and I am burnt out....I love my husband and I will wait for hm, but I don't like it.
God Please let him come home September 1st, 2009.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Arizona Department of Corrections Budget Cuts
spierce@azleg.gov; ahale@azleg.gov; rgould@azleg.gov; jharper@azleg.gov; sallen@azleg.gov; pgorman@azleg.gov; jwaring@azleg.gov; callen@azleg.gov; rburns@azleg.gov; lgray@azleg.gov; bleff@azleg.gov; jnelson@azleg.gov; rmiranda@azleg.gov; dmccunedavis@azleg.gov; kcheuvront@azleg.gov; llandrumtaylor@azleg.gov; mburtoncahill@azleg.gov; rpearce@azleg.gov; cgray@azleg.gov; jhuppenthal@azleg.gov; jtibshraeny@azleg.gov; tverschoor@azleg.gov; rrios@azleg.gov; aaguirre@azleg.gov; malvarez@azleg.gov; amelvin@azleg.gov; jgarcia@azleg.gov; paboud@azleg.gov; llopez@azleg.gov; jpaton@azleg.gov; lmason@azleg.gov; atobin@azleg.gov; tchabin@azleg.gov; cdeschene@azleg.gov; dgoodale@azleg.gov; nmclain@azleg.gov; tboone@azleg.gov; jburges@azleg.gov; jbrown@azleg.gov; bkonopnicki@azleg.gov; scrump@azleg.gov; cseel@azleg.gov; rbarnes@azleg.gov; nbarto@azleg.gov; jkavanagh@azleg.gov; mreagan@azleg.gov; dlesko@azleg.gov; rmurphy@azleg.gov; dquelland@azleg.gov; jweiers@azleg.gov; adriggs@azleg.gov; emeyer@azleg.gov; smontenegro@azleg.gov; jpweiers@azleg.gov; mgarcia@azleg.gov; atovar@azleg.gov; chcampbell@azleg.gov; rmeza@azleg.gov; dlujan@azleg.gov; ksinema@azleg.gov; clcampbell@azleg.gov; bmiranda@azleg.gov; eableser@azleg.gov; dschapira@azleg.gov; cash@azleg.gov; scourt@azleg.gov; kadams@azleg.gov; rcrandall@azleg.gov; jmccomish@azleg.gov; rwaters@azleg.gov; wnichols@azleg.gov; syarbrough@azleg.gov; abiggs@azleg.gov; lhendrix@azleg.gov; bmcguire@azleg.gov; fpratt@azleg.gov; rjones@azleg.gov; lpancrazi@azleg.gov; pfleming@azleg.gov; dstevens@azleg.gov; vwilliams@azleg.gov; nyoungwright@azleg.gov; ocajerobedford@azleg.gov; plopes@azleg.gov; dbradley@azleg.gov; sfarley@azleg.gov; mheinz@azleg.gov; dpatterson@azleg.gov; fantenori@azleg.gov; dgowan@azleg.gov;
Please send an e-mail BCC to the above AZ State Representatives:
Subject: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS CUTS: SUPPORT
March 6, 2009 the Department of Corrections submitted a budget proposal with many priorities to reduce their one billion dollar Budget. In particular priority #10C is to reduce the mandatory time served for inmates in AZ, otherwise known as Truth-In-Sentencing. I completely support this move by the Arizona Department of Corrections and strongly urge you, as a representative of the tax paying citizens of AZ, to implement this plan in what ever means necessary. There is too much spending in corrections and not enough on education and other important agencies. It's time that the mandatory minimum time served of 85% be reduced and other monitoring methods and programs utilized for those qualified inmates in the proposal from the DOC. If in fact, this part of the budget reduction happens there will only be approximately 6500 non-dangerous low custody inmates eligible for parole. Ten prisons could be shut down and possibly leased out to CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) generating a revenue, as well as creating jobs for Correction Officers that will be laid off. Correction officers could transition to Parole Officers and utilize space in the prisons rather than outside office locations. This is a win/win situation, none of the other budget cuts the DOC is proposing would need to be cut (if AZ is asking DOC to cut 8.5% of their budget) including programs for inmates, staff benfits, and operations expenses.
Thank You For Supporting My Request.
Please send an e-mail BCC to the above AZ State Representatives:
Subject: ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS CUTS: SUPPORT
March 6, 2009 the Department of Corrections submitted a budget proposal with many priorities to reduce their one billion dollar Budget. In particular priority #10C is to reduce the mandatory time served for inmates in AZ, otherwise known as Truth-In-Sentencing. I completely support this move by the Arizona Department of Corrections and strongly urge you, as a representative of the tax paying citizens of AZ, to implement this plan in what ever means necessary. There is too much spending in corrections and not enough on education and other important agencies. It's time that the mandatory minimum time served of 85% be reduced and other monitoring methods and programs utilized for those qualified inmates in the proposal from the DOC. If in fact, this part of the budget reduction happens there will only be approximately 6500 non-dangerous low custody inmates eligible for parole. Ten prisons could be shut down and possibly leased out to CCA (Corrections Corporation of America) generating a revenue, as well as creating jobs for Correction Officers that will be laid off. Correction officers could transition to Parole Officers and utilize space in the prisons rather than outside office locations. This is a win/win situation, none of the other budget cuts the DOC is proposing would need to be cut (if AZ is asking DOC to cut 8.5% of their budget) including programs for inmates, staff benfits, and operations expenses.
Thank You For Supporting My Request.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Devil's Advocate
View state-of-arizona-budget-reductions-options-fy-2010-gf-pdf
You know, I am going to play the devil's advocate.
First of all, out of 10 priorities, this one is number 10. Number 11 is really just an extention to #10C.
Second, by unloading 10K plus inmates either into county jails or on parole would eliminate 10 plus prisons.
Third, the county jails will have to house more inmates 600 plus from DOC and that isn't going to fly with the counties too well.
Fourth, eliminating 10 prison facilities means laying off close to 1200 employees. Although, one suggestion is to lease out the DOC prisons to private prison companies (creating an income) and house out of state inmates possibly opening up new jobs for those employees that will loose their job with DOC.
Fifth, AZ will either need to increase the parole officers case loads or create new jobs, because the parole officers are already over loaded. Again, possibly more jobs for the laid of DOC workers.
Sixth, there will need to be a revision of the current law, something that is very complex, because of other language that is used in ARS codes determining inmate eligiability. Would this only be for non-violent, medium, minimum inmates not convicted of certain crimes? They will really need to hammer and smooth this out to prevent some inmates that should qualify falling through the cracks and not getting released which will cause unrest with inmates and family members angry that one inmate gets this program while another with the same crime does not especially based on the fact that the only difference is they are house in a closed custody yard or level 5 yard. I guess this would have to be an internal DOC policy based on internal scoring and behavior....
Some other things to consider I heard, I haven't verified this yet, but DOC was only asked to reduce their current budget of 1 billion 8.5% so in other words $85 million dollars. If DOC reduces the budget by each priority in order, then they would reach that reduction prior to priority number 10C the modification in truth-in-sentencing.
Just some food for thought so that we can look at this in a realistic approach.
You know, I am going to play the devil's advocate.
First of all, out of 10 priorities, this one is number 10. Number 11 is really just an extention to #10C.
Second, by unloading 10K plus inmates either into county jails or on parole would eliminate 10 plus prisons.
Third, the county jails will have to house more inmates 600 plus from DOC and that isn't going to fly with the counties too well.
Fourth, eliminating 10 prison facilities means laying off close to 1200 employees. Although, one suggestion is to lease out the DOC prisons to private prison companies (creating an income) and house out of state inmates possibly opening up new jobs for those employees that will loose their job with DOC.
Fifth, AZ will either need to increase the parole officers case loads or create new jobs, because the parole officers are already over loaded. Again, possibly more jobs for the laid of DOC workers.
Sixth, there will need to be a revision of the current law, something that is very complex, because of other language that is used in ARS codes determining inmate eligiability. Would this only be for non-violent, medium, minimum inmates not convicted of certain crimes? They will really need to hammer and smooth this out to prevent some inmates that should qualify falling through the cracks and not getting released which will cause unrest with inmates and family members angry that one inmate gets this program while another with the same crime does not especially based on the fact that the only difference is they are house in a closed custody yard or level 5 yard. I guess this would have to be an internal DOC policy based on internal scoring and behavior....
Some other things to consider I heard, I haven't verified this yet, but DOC was only asked to reduce their current budget of 1 billion 8.5% so in other words $85 million dollars. If DOC reduces the budget by each priority in order, then they would reach that reduction prior to priority number 10C the modification in truth-in-sentencing.
Just some food for thought so that we can look at this in a realistic approach.
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