Pubdate: Sat, 01 Feb 2003 Source: Tennessean, The (TN) Copyright: 2003 The Tennessean Contact: http://www.tennessean.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/447 PRISON POLICY SHOULD NOT BE ONLY BRICKS, MORTAR Tennessee's new governor shouldn't have to worry about the possibility of wholesale release of prisoners if his administration gets behind a sensible approach to corrections. Faced with budget troubles that have convinced some governors to release felons early, Gov. Phil Bredesen can seek better options and likely save money at the same time. One of the first decisions the governor faces is whether to build a prison in Weakley County recommended by former Gov. Don Sundquist. The prison would add as many as 1,900 beds, and a recommended addition to the Bledsoe County facility would add another 700-900 beds. Those recommendations would get Tennessee about a third of the way toward an expected demand for 7,097 beds by 2011. In the midst of its own budget crunch, Tennessee must acknowledge that costly bricks and mortar aren't the only ways to a strong correction program. Other states have initiated home incarcerations, strict probation requirements and alternative sentencing. Of course, applicants for such programs are carefully screened, and eligibility is usually limited to non-violent crimes. Of special interest is the legislature's new enthusiasm for drug courts which punish and correct behavior - something Tennessee's prison system hasn't been able to claim for a long time. Sen. Joe Haynes said lawmakers are open to expanding the drug court idea which has been so admirably developed in Nashville by Judge Seth Norman. By redirecting first time drug offenders, drug courts treat one of the biggest boons to crime - addiction. By steering offenders into jobs, the program also aims at making former felons productive citizens. Drug courts, probation programs and other alternatives cost money, but they remain a fraction of the $452 million a year Tennessee is paying to house felons. And it costs nothing to look at other options. The new governor has been adamant that Tennessee can find ways to save within each department. Bredesen is a savvy enough businessman to know that Tennessee's prisons are not cost-effective. He doesn't have to empty out cells; he needs to make better use of them. - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart