Money Woes Force States to Cut Prison Spending

Budget worries are leadings states across the country to reconsider the wisdom of the war on crime. Facing staggering deficits, states like Kentucky, Washington state, Michigan, Alabama and North Carolina are looking at early release, changes to mandatory minimums and other policies to reduce needless incarceration and save money. Stateline.com has this roundup on the trend:

Criminal justice reform — for years a controversial issue for legislators wary of being labeled “soft on crime” — is finding new proponents as public officials seek ways to save money. But a single strategy to tackle incarceration costs has yet to emerge, and some critics say state policymakers are dragging their feet and avoiding comprehensive changes that have become necessary.

In Michigan, where one in four prisoners is beyond his or her earliest release date and lawmakers have proposed a massive overhaul to the parole system, the Detroit Free Press argues that spending on prevention is more effective than spending on incarceration:

Studies show that length of sentence has little to do with how likely a person is to commit another crime. The parole board now has too much discretion. Legally requiring releases after a certain period would take some of the heat off them.

Money saved with fewer prisons could put more cops on the street and increase intervention work with young men. Males 17-24 now commit 26% of the violent crimes. Intervention programs, like Flip the Script in Detroit, would reduce that number. In other words, spend more money on preventing crime and less after the damage is done.

Other states have made similar changes. They save hundreds of millions of dollars and still report lower crime rates than Michigan. We’ve tried tough on crime. Now let’s get smart on crime.

Like the massive reevaluation of our rampant consumerism, this could be a silver lining to the recession. But when taking the ax to prison budgets, there's always the concern that short-sighted state lawmakers will get the soft-on-crimies and make the cuts in the wrong places. Releasing people who have served their sentences is a smart way to save, cutting programs that reduce recidivism is throwing out the baby with the bathwater. From Stateline:

Elsewhere, budget cuts have targeted rehabilitation programs. A budget crisis in New York forced cuts to substance-abuse programs for ex-offenders in New York City. Nevada scaled back education for inmates at some facilities.

The months ahead could be a crucial time for criminal justice reform, as budgets are forcing lawmakers to face some decisions they never would have made. It's time to speak up and tell them our representatives that we support second chances.