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| State funding problems for prisons, Medicaid, courts |
| By abc3340.com - Honora Gathings |
| Published: 01/16/2014 |
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For years, Alabama leaders have been warned by the US Department of Justice to correct the jail overcrowding problem. But the general fund budget faces an 83 million dollar shortfall, and the Alabama Department of Corrections needs more money. The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee says federal courts will step in immediately if the prison system faces any further cuts. He says the same goes for Medicaid. Prisons and Medicaid make up sixty percent of the budget. That leaves the state court system vulnerable to more cuts. Alabama's prisons are overcrowded and under funded. "If the legislature doesn't do something, the courts are going to do it for us. It's going to get taken care of," said Senator Cam Ward, (R) Alabaster. Prisons are at a 192 percent capacity. Ward says it would require approximately six additional prisons to fix the problem. That alone would drain half the general fund. "If you cut too much lower in the amount you pay per inmate per day, you risk violating the Eighth Amendment and that's usually when courts take over the system," he said. Medicaid cuts could also trigger court involvement. That leaves some healthcare programs and the courts open to possible cuts. Read More. |
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