|
|
| Ex-Tenn. Prison Chief Takes Over Ala. DOC |
| By Huntsville Times |
| Published: 01/24/2003 |
|
Gov. Bob Riley has selected the former head of the Tennessee prison system to lead Alabama's troubled Department of Corrections. Donal Campbell, 51, takes over a prison system under court orders to reduce overcrowding in its women's prison and to find more space for its male inmates. Campbell said Alabama's problems are nothing new to him because Tennessee's prisons dealt with the same issues in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Tennessee uses private prisons to house about 4,500 of its 18,000 inmates - something Campbell and Riley said they plan to consider in Alabama, which has never used private prisons. Campbell said he's not in favor of privatizing existing prisons but would consider privately run prisons to provide new space for inmates. 'We're in a crisis to bring on more beds more quickly than if they were brought on by the state,' he said at a news conference this morning. Campbell replaces Mike Haley, who was appointed by former Gov. Don Siegelman. Campbell, who will make $91,000 a year, began his career in corrections as a prison officer in 1977. He rose through the ranks, serving as commissioner of the Tennessee system from 1995 until Saturday. He was an appointee of Republican Gov. Don Sundquist and lost his job at the change of administrations. Annual appropriations for the Alabama Corrections Department have increased from $62 million to $200 million in the last two decades, according to the Mobile Register. But Alabama still ranks 50th among states in per inmate spending. Tennessee devotes $500 million a year to its prison system, which has 9,000 fewer inmates than Alabama's, the Register reported. Haley last month told legislators that Alabama must spend an extra $144 million a year to meet the basic needs of its prisons. Campbell declined today to speculate how much more money the department needs. Alabama's prison system has been an easy target for federal judges, who have cited past commissioners for failing to relieve overcrowding. Campbell wouldn't say if he would consider releasing nonviolent offenders to make more room. Riley jumped in, saying Campbell told him, ' 'I don't want to be responsible for letting someone out early who goes out and commits another crime.' ' Campbell graduated from Tennessee State University in Nashville with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. Riley acknowledged last week that two people he declined to identify had turned down his offer to run the state prison system. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Do you know someone who has been arrested in Waco or McLennan County? It’s important to find a good Waco lawyer to represent you in the matter involving your own liberty. Look for the best Waco lawyer that you can find. Whether you have been accused rightly or wrongly, it’s important to know your legal rights that concern whether you go to jail.