Looking past the prisons

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January 3, 2012

Looking past the prisons

The Cullman Times The Cullman Times Tue Jan 03, 2012, 02:09 PM CST

CULLMAN — The Alabama Legislature faces a multitude of challenges because of huge projected shortfalls in the General Fund budget.

Among the most critical issues in this funding shortage will be the plight of the state Department of Corrections. With just under 31,000 inmates housed in Alabama prisons, the incarcerated population now stands at 190 percent of the designed capacity of the facilities.

The situation will ultimately put more pressures on county jails to house state inmates, which will require the state to pay additional money to the counties for food and housing the inmates. The overcrowding may well become a county to county issue.

With no concrete funding options in place when the legislature returns to work next month, Gov. Robert Bentley is expected to seek proration in the General Fund budget. Proration will mean layoffs and a reduction in services in several areas, including the judicial system. Residents may see courthouses with reduced hours and shorter court terms across the state.

The U.S. Supreme Court has already ordered the state of California to release a portion of its prison population after inmates filed lawsuits about the crowded conditions. Alabama may well face a similar challenge without a legislative miracle or a decision to thin the ranks of the state’s prison population.

The General Fund does not have vast resources for replenishment because most of the funding comes from fees. With the economy remaining sluggish, the outlook for any type of increase for the General Fund is unlikely, except for diverting money from the Education Trust Fund. And it’s not likely that legislators will favor taking money from a fund that has suffered proration but is actually stable for the new fiscal year.

Alabamians have long embraced tough laws for those who violate laws. But the long existence of a drug culture here and across the nation is causing many state corrections systems to burst at seams. Many citizens will shudder at the thought of turning loose criminals before their sentences are fully served, but what other alternative can Alabama offer?

State officials may well have to take a close look at who is in prison and the charges that led to their incarceration. Perhaps in the future state leaders can find some alternatives to expensive incarceration. Programs that monitor those convicted of non-violent crimes and force them to contribute back to society through community service deserve attention from state leaders.

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