Pubdate: Thu, 15 Feb 2007
Source: Plain Dealer, The (Cleveland, OH)
Copyright: 2007 The Plain Dealer
Contact:  http://www.cleveland.com/plaindealer/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/342
Note: priority given to local letter writers
Author: Reginald Fields, Plain Dealer Bureau

OHIO'S PRISONERS TO INCREASE 20%

Growth Is Faster Than Other States

Columbus - Ohio's prison population is expected to grow by 20 percent over 
the next five years, which would give the state the highest number of 
inmates in the Midwest, replacing Michigan, according to a national report.

With a projected 57,000 inmates by 2011, Ohio's prison population would 
grow faster than that of any other state its size or larger, according to 
the Pew Charitable Trust's "Public Safety and Public Spending" report 
released Wednesday.

"It doesn't surprise me," said Ohio corrections director Terry Collins. "We 
seem to be seeing more people doing drug abuse and drug possession and 
crimes to try to get drugs . . . where it is not violence against a 
particular person but violence against society."

The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction supplied figures for 
the report, as did other states, allowing for side-by-side comparisons of 
the 50 states.

Most states are expected to experience double-digit percentage increases, 
some well beyond their own earlier projections, according to the report. By 
2011, the number of inmates in state prisons could swell to 480 per 100,000 
people, up from 447 in 2006.

The reasons for the growth nationally are similar to those factors fueling 
Ohio's increases: more female prisoners and tougher sentencing.

And the price tag for the rising prison populations could be high in terms 
of staffing and construction of more prison space.

"It's an expensive proposition to put them in prison, and to keep them in 
prison is not cheap," said Collins, who added that Ohio has not yet begun 
to understand what the long-term inmate projections might mean for the 
prison budget.

Nationally, the report estimates about 192,000 people will go to prison 
over the next five years, costing states more than $27 billion in 
additional operations and capital costs. Locking up more criminals does not 
guarantee a reduction in crime, the report states.

An official behind the report said rather than settling for spending more 
on new prisons and hiring additional guards, states should consider how 
better to combat crime. One example: enhance re-entry programs for 
ex-offenders to cut recidivism rates.

States "are beginning to question whether huge additional investments in 
prisons are the most effective and economical way of combating crime," said 
Susan Urahn, of the Pew Charitable Trusts.

"The challenge for state policy makers," she said, "is to ensure that 
taxpayers are getting a strong return on their investments in corrections."
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