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| Correction Cuts Won't Affect Safety |
| By jacksonsun.com |
| Published: 07/06/2009 |
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Commissioner: Correction cuts won't affect safety By Lucas L. Johnson II July 5, 2009 NASHVILLE — Correction Commissioner George Little says $64 million in cuts his department is making over coming years won't jeopardize safety at state prisons or put the public at risk. The cuts are part of the governor's budget plan to deal with a dismal economy. But where some state agencies have been required to cut personnel, Little said the Correction Department has been asked to hold 450 positions vacant with the hope of gradually filling them if the economy improves. "Basically, we are making some cuts as far as the institutional operations and non-personnel things," Little said. "We're going to cut back on supplies, we're going to cut back on travel, we're going to limit overtime ... some things we're not going to do that historically we have been." The state expects to save about $1 million by having prisoners prepare their own meals and by cutting back on milk for male inmates, from two servings a day to one. Because state prisons aren't reducing staff, Little said they will still be able to provide effective monitoring and continue to house serious violators. "The repeat dangerous offenders, we're still going to be bringing them into prison," he said. However, Little said the Correction Department and State Board of Probation and Parole are working together to help ex-convicts stay out of prison. A report released this year by the Pew Center on the States shows that one in 31 adults in America is imprisoned or jailed, or on probation or parole. In Tennessee, it's about one in 40. The report suggested states make a greater effort to prevent those on probation or parole from returning to prison and to strengthen their "community corrections systems." Tennessee correction officials plan to revoke fewer probations through diversion programs, including those for "technical parole violators" — probationers or parolees who may get in trouble for minor offenses such as driving on a suspended license or missing a counseling session. Read more. |
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