Pubdate: Thu,  6 Nov 2003
Source: News-Sentinel, The (Fort  Wayne, IN)
Copyright: 2003 The News-Sentinel
Contact:  http://www.fortwayne.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1077
Author: Chris Sundheim, of The Associated Press
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing)

KERNAN TOURS PRISONS, SEEKS REFORMS TO END CROWDING

Lawmakers Are Discussing Changes To Drug Sentences.

INDIANAPOLIS - Gov. Joe Kernan joined legislative leaders on a tour of two 
state prisons Wednesday and urged lawmakers to discuss ways to ease 
overcrowding that could include sentencing and parole reforms.

The governor toured a medium-security women's prison in Rockville and a 
low-to medium-security men's prison in Putnamville, both in western 
Indiana, to get a firsthand look at the crowding problem.

"We come today with no solutions but instead the idea that we can work 
together, pool our resources and look for ways to impact the situation," 
Kernan said after returning to his Statehouse office.

Kernan was joined on the prison tours by Democratic House Speaker Pat 
Bauer, Republican Senate President Pro Tem Bob Garton and Indiana Chief 
Justice Randall Shepard.

Indiana prisons have room for about 16,000 inmates but are currently 
holding nearly 23,000, Kernan said.

Kernan, a Democrat, wants lawmakers and prison officials to discuss ways to 
reduce overcrowding. Those reforms could include revising the rules judges 
must follow when sentencing criminals and changing some parole policies.

Bauer said long sentences for drug crimes were at least partially to blame 
for the increase in inmate populations and suggested lawmakers consider 
offering more discretion to judges to impose shorter sentences when 
appropriate.

Bauer and Garton agreed the General Assembly should conduct a review of 
regulations that sometimes require lengthy prison terms for possession of 
relatively small amounts of illegal drugs.

"It may be time to revisit what the rush to judgment was starting about a 
decade ago," Bauer said, referring to passage of harsher drug penalties in 
the late 1980s and early 1990s. "I think that has to be on the table."

If existing sentencing guidelines are left in place, "we'll just have to 
have a building program that we add two or three more prisons every year, 
and that will become our economic-development program," Bauer said.

Kernan said he would rather not spend money on new prisons, preferring 
instead to find cheaper alternatives that might permit some offenders to be 
released early if they complete drug-treatment or education programs. He 
said prison officials were reviewing the system used to classify inmates to 
better assess whether some could be sent to community-based programs such 
as work-release centers.

About 1,800 new beds are sitting unused at prisons in Miami County and New 
Castle. The late Gov. Frank O'Bannon wanted to open those beds, but 
lawmakers approved a budget last spring without any money to do so.

Kernan said he did not discuss that issue with legislative leaders 
Wednesday but indicated the extra beds were among the ideas that could be 
considered when lawmakers reconvene.
- ---
MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom