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| Penn. Inmate Count Tops 40,000 for First Time in State History |
| By NEPA News |
| Published: 02/03/2003 |
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The number of inmates in the state prison system has topped 40,000 for the first time in Pennsylvania history, and authorities say it threatens to overwhelm the extra capacity the state added over the past decade to ease overcrowding. The inmate count grew 5.5 percent last year, adding 2,095 people to state prisons. Last month, according to monthly population reports from the Department of Corrections, there were 40,090 convicts. 'It's positively alarming, and it ought to be alarming to everybody in the state, including those who are concerned about where we are going economically,' said William DiMascio, executive director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society. State Corrections Secretary Jeff Beard said the inmate count had held steady for several years but started to increase in the second half of 2001, and the growth became sharper last year. Beard said the increase strains the budget, since the state pays about $28,000 a year to house each inmate, and could also overwhelm the new capacity the state has added over the past decade to ease overcrowding. The 26-prison system is now at 115 percent capacity, which Beard said would not significantly affect security. And the rate could fall to 100 percent with the addition of two new 2,000-bed prisons slated to open over the next year. 'But it's getting to the point where if we don't get some handle on the population growth we're going to have to look at building some additional new institutions,' he said. A review by the department says the rise in prison population is due to an increase in nonviolent offenders - in particular, drug dealers - and to a lesser extent, to the return of more parole violators. Beard, just nominated to a new term by Gov. Ed Rendell, said the department is likely to propose sentencing reforms this year aimed at significantly reducing the amount of time nonviolent offenders spend in prison. The plan would allow judges to place qualifying inmates into an 'alternate sentence' program featuring shorter prison stays combined with intensive drug and alcohol treatment, followed by close supervision upon release. In other states, similar programs have freed up valuable prison space and helped to reduce recidivism, Beard said. DiMascio and other inmate rights advocates also endorse the idea. 'Long sentences are being imposed on people because of their addictive behaviors. But punishing people for their behavior may make us feel good, but it doesn't really solve the problem,' DiMascio said. Beard said corrections officials will also be talking with the state Board of Probation and Parole, which has sole discretion over whether and for how long a parole violator goes back to prison. 'The question needs to be raised: 'Are we locking up the right people?'' he said. |
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