|
|
| Alabama Reduces Inmate Backlog |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 09/06/2001 |
|
Though state officials have moved enough inmates out of jam-packed county jails and into prisons to meet a court-ordered deadline, their problems aren't over. The challenge now is to keep the overcrowding from recurring. Circuit Judge William Shashy had set a Monday deadline for the state to end overcrowded conditions or be fined $26-per-day for each state inmate still in a county jail 30 days after being sentenced. Because Monday was a holiday, the state informed the court Tuesday of its progress, saying more than 1,000 inmates had been moved. But many counties are starting their fall terms of grand juries, which routinely issue thousands of new indictments - and finding space for more inmates in Alabama's jammed prisons may be difficult. 'We are totally out of space now,' prison system spokesman John Hamm said Tuesday. The governor's legal adviser, Ted Hosp, said the administration will be moving into the next phase of its program to alleviate overcrowding, which involves putting more nonviolent offenders to work and creating more drug-treatment programs. In June, the state reported having 2,000 of its inmates backlogged into overcrowded county jails due to a lack of space in state prisons. Hamm said the backlog was down to 398 on Tuesday. The state reduced the backlog during the summer by adding beds to existing prisons, increasing paroles and putting more inmates into community work programs. Prison officials and Gov. Don Siegelman were hopeful there would be no fines because the judge had indicated he would consider not penalizing the state if the backlog fell below 459. Carrie Kurlander, the governor's press secretary, said imposing a fine would be counterproductive. 'It would deplete the resources for alleviating overcrowding,' she said. Sheriffs and county commissioners took state officials to court because the state wasn't complying with a 1992 court order to remove inmates from county jails within 30 days after they are sentenced to state prisons. The crowding became so bad that a federal judge compared one county jail to a slave ship last spring. |
advertise
|
privacy policy
|
add URL
|
about us
|
terms/disclaimer
|
contact us
|
join our team
|
help
Comments:
No comments have been posted for this article.
Login to let us know what you think