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| Prison expert lists ways to reduce female inmates |
| By The Birmingham News |
| Published: 09/29/2003 |
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The Alabama prison system could save nearly $3 million a year and safely reduce its female inmate population by at least 400 through greater use of community-based work and treatment programs, a nationally known prison expert says. Tim Roche of Washington, in a report filed last week in a federal court suit on behalf of inmates at Tutwiler Prison for Women, said most women in Alabama prisons are serving relatively short sentences for non-violent crimes, making them prime candidates for effective and safe placement in community programs. With Alabama facing "a state budget crisis of historic proportions" and state officials talking about budget cuts that could force the release of up to 7,000 convicts, community corrections programs could provide "affordable and long-term solutions to prison overcrowding ... without an increased risk to public safety," Roche said. "Alabama has the makings of a high quality network of needed services in the form of its community corrections programs," Roche said. There are community corrections programs in 21 of the state's 67 counties. Roche, who has testified as an expert on crowding issues in prison lawsuits in several states, also has worked for the Justice Department's National Institute of Corrections. His report was filed for plaintiffs in a suit by the Atlanta-based Southern Center for Human Rights. Roche said he realizes Alabama has reduced the number of female inmates this year by paroling more than 300 and sending another 300 to a private prison in Louisiana. But he said state prison facilities for women still are operating at more than 170 percent of capacity. Prison officials haven't received a copy of Roche's report, but "we believe we have made progress through the use of parole, community corrections and out-of-state beds in reducing the population at Tutwiler as we stated in our plan submitted in federal court," said a spokesman. There were 1,675 state convicts in county jails around the state in December who had waited longer than 30 days for transfers into state prisons, but as of last week that number was down to three convicts. Roche said money spent on housing inmates out of state could be better spent on expanding community services in Alabama. |
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