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| Texas' Prison Population Swells |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/24/2002 |
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Texas' prison population has grown 1.5 percent in the last year, putting the number of inmates in state prisons at 147,000, about 2,000 more than expected. The increase coincides with a drop in the percentage of eligible inmates being released on parole and could put another strain on a tight state budget. Prisons officials downplay the population growth and say they still can cut their two-year budget next year as promised when they thought the inmate population would be lower. 'It could be a quirk,' said Larry Todd, a Department of Criminal Justice spokesman. 'This is a short-term increase, and it's just too early to tell if this has any lasting impact.' The department has proposed cutting its $5.2 billion budget by $60 million in the 2004-2005 budget cycle. Some budget watchers say any savings would disappear if the prison population remains higher than projected. The state estimates its spends about $14,000 a year per inmate. At that rate, 2,000 extra inmates would cost $56 million more than expected over the next two years. 'That basically cancels the savings out. It could evaporate overnight,' said Eva DeLuna Castro, a budget analyst with the nonprofit Center for Public Policy Priorities, which advocates for low-income Texans. Comptroller Carole Keeton Rylander has projected lawmakers will face a $5 billion shortfall when they return to Austin in January to write another budget. State leaders have said they do not believe a tax increase is necessary, making spending cuts more likely. A sustained spike in the inmate population would make it difficult to cut spending on prisons. Between 1990 and 2000, the state spent $1.7 billion on prison construction and saw the number of inmates triple to 151,000. When the economy peaked in 2000, the number of inmates began to fall, and lawmakers said that the era of building prisons was finished. The state's Criminal Justice Policy Council, which provides data and policy analysis to state officials, projected in June that the inmate population would hover just under 145,000 for two years before increasing to almost 147,000 in 2004. The jump came ahead of schedule. Statewide, total crime increased 1.3 percent from the first six months of 2001 to the first six months of 2002, according to the Department of Public Safety. The portion of parole applicants approved for release was about 25 percent in the previous fiscal year; in October, it was 19 percent. |
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