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| Lawmaker: Cuts Would 'Dismantle' Texas Prison System |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 02/24/2003 |
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Proposed budget cuts for state prisons would 'dismantle the system,' creating the potential for serious future problems that would nullify any short-term savings, a key House lawmaker said today. Rep. Sylvester Turner, chairman of the House budget subcommittee charged with reviewing the prisons budget, said the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a delicate system of prisons, parole and substance abuse treatment programs that would crumble under a 12.5 percent cut over the next two years. Like other state agencies, the department was ordered to identify where it could cut spending by 12.5 percent as state lawmakers grapple with an estimate $8.1 billion shortfall in the 2004-05 budget. Prison officials say that could mean hundreds of layoffs for parole and probation workers and deep slashes in rehabilitation programs for sex, drug and alcohol offenders as well as inmate medical care. 'The correction system is one of those areas that simply cannot withstand significant budget reductions,' said Turner, a Houston Democrat who has been on the House Appropriations Committee since 1995. 'That's just the way it is.' 'One of the main reasons why state government exists is to provide for the safety and security of its citizens,' Turner's subcommittee labored through an item-by-item breakdown of the TDCJ budget on Thursday, searching for areas to cut without jeopardizing public safety. The agency's allotted budget for 2002-03 was $5.2 billion, paying for everything from prison officer and administrative salaries, food, laundry and health care for inmates, probation and parole officers and programs to rehabilitation programs and various other items. Trimming that by 12.5 percent and still running a safe and productive prison system 'would be more than difficult,' said Gary Johnson, TDCJ's executive director. 'It would be practically impossible.' Lawmakers have already expressed worries that trimming rehabilitation programs and supervision by parole officers could lead to higher crime rates and even more people being sent into a prison system already bursting at the seams. 'It's all tied together,' said Rep. Dan Ellis, D-Huntsville., another member of House budget subcommittee. Lawmakers are already trying to figure out how to free up more space for inmates now as the prison population encroaches on the system's operating capacity. Also Thursday, Texas Youth Commission officials testifying before the House Committee on Juvenile Justice and Family Issues said budget cuts could increase the likelihood of repeat offenders. Executive Director Steve Robinson said the juvenile offender recidivism rate within three years has been lowered to 50 percent after 1995 reform legislation that overhauled the system. Budget cuts would mean shortening length of stays from an average of 17.5 months to 13 months, increasing the likelihood that an offender will commit a repeat offense, Robinson said. 'It took six years to get the system under control,' he said. 'It's very difficult to have been involved in building the system and now being involved in taking it apart.' |
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