Pubdate: Sat, 08 Mar 2003
Source: The Dominion Post (WV)
Copyright: 2003 The Dominion Post
Contact:  http://www.dominionpost.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1426
Author: Sen. Michael Oliverio
Note: Sen. Michael Oliverio represents the 13th District in West Virginia

PRISON FOR VIOLENT CRIMINALS ONLY

In the early '90s, I chaired the Governor's Committee on Crime, Delinquency 
and Corrections. In that role, prior to serving in the Legislature, I 
learned a lot about our state's prisons and jails, and our correctional system.

A few years ago I was tasked with the responsibility of addressing some of 
the prison overcrowding issues and criminal sentencing laws in West 
Virginia. Over the past interim we conducted extensive study of our 
sentencing, our prisons and our new community corrections programs.

We learned that the regional jail costs for most counties in West Virginia 
continue to escalate at an alarming rate. At the current time, counties pay 
$45 per day for each offender housed in the regional jails. We are also 
faced with increasing the amount of state dollars spent on housing 
prisoners in our prison system.

According to a report released by the W.Va. Division of Criminal Justice 
Services and The George Washington University Institute on Crime, Justice 
and Corrections, the prison population in West Virginia more than doubled 
in size from 2,110 inmates in 1993 to 4,544 in 2002.

The report also states that if current trends continue unchanged, the 
inmate population will grow to 5,853 by the end of 2007 and 6,774 by the 
end of 2012. I believe it is time for us to take a hard look at the types 
of offenders being sentenced to serve time in our regional jails and prisons.

I am not advocating that we go soft on crime, but that we make sure there 
is bed space in our correctional system for those who commit violent 
offenses or those who are repeat offenders. The Legislature began to 
address this problem during the 2000 legislative session when it passed the 
Community Corrections Act, which allows us to punish and treat non-violent 
offenders in the community.

A good example of such a community corrections program is the Lee Day 
Report Center in the northern panhandle, which serves Brooke, Hancock, 
Marshall and Ohio counties. The day-report center is a cost effective 
program that provides intensive supervision services and treatment at a 
minimal cost to the counties and state.

The cost to treat offenders at the day-report center is $5 per day per 
offender, while the cost to house offenders in the regional jails is $45 
per day per offender; and it costs $49-$60 per day to house an offender in 
state prison depending upon the type of correctional facility in which they 
are housed.

The savings to counties and the state budget is substantial. One day-report 
center, averaging 400-600 offenders per year, can generate annual savings 
of $6 million-9 million. Although these figures are impressive, the opening 
of additional day-report centers is in jeopardy due to a lack of funding.

Even though the Legislature imposed new fees to fund community corrections 
programs, it is going to take time for the fees to accumulate enough monies 
to fund multiple day-report centers or other types of community corrections 
throughout the state. The Legislature needs to continue its support of 
community corrections programs by putting $1 million into the State 
Community Corrections Fund this year.

Locally, our region also can play a role in reducing the cost of housing 
inmates. Work is under way in north-central West Virginia to establish a 
day report center similar to the one established in the Northern Panhandle.

The facility will track the status of nonviolent offenders and provide 
valuable training and counseling to them. This proactive rehabilitative 
approach can make a difference in an individual's life.

I urge representatives in our region to try to adopt a program that will 
accomplish these objectives. I urge the public to learn more about this 
issue and to offer input to our elected county officials to improve the 
chances of success of this program. Gov. Wise's cabinet secretary who is 
responsible for corrections recently said we should look at housing inmates 
in this light.

We should house those in our state prisons whom we are afraid of, but not 
necessarily all of those whom we are angry at. I think there is some truth 
that lies with that statement.

A state that housed slightly more than 2,000 inmates in 1993 and that is 
headed toward housing almost 7,000 inmates 20 years later needs to 
seriously re-evaluate its policies and its laws -- particularly given the 
fact that its population over those 20 ye ars has and appears to be 
remaining constant, and its revenues are declining.

Sen. michael oliverio represents the 13th District in West Virginia. This 
commentary should be considered another point of view and not necessarily 
the opinion or editorial policy of The Dominion Post.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens