Pubdate: Wed, 26 Jan 2011 Source: Pensacola News Journal (FL) Copyright: 2011 The Pensacola News Journal Contact: http://www.pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?Category=OPINION0301 Website: http://www.pnj.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1675 Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?199 (Mandatory Minimum Sentencing) SCOTT'S PRISON BREAK It's way too soon to know if Gov. Rick Scott really understands that he is now a politician who needs legislative allies, or still thinks he's a CEO who can issue orders to get things done. So the fact he thinks he can cut 40 percent from the state prison budget when key legislators think that's a pipe dream -- without simply releasing thousands of prisoners -- might be one of the reality checks headed his way. But Scott might have hit an administrative home run with his selection of former Indiana prison system chief Edwin Buss to run Florida's prisons. Indiana's system is much smaller than Florida's, but Buss radically cut costs there. In large part he did it by getting legislators to focus on something that might go against the "lock 'em up" theory that has pushed Florida's prison population past 100,000 inmates, and cost Florida taxpayers billions. That is, using prison for criminals who need to be there, and finding other -- less costly, and less socially damaging -- remedies for those who shouldn't be there. Yes, that includes the dreaded "R" word -- rehabilitation. Most prisoners eventually get out, and return to their communities. They need to return with something more than just the knowledge of how to be better criminals. Buss isn't alone in his thinking. This week Florida legislators heard from a Texas legislator who told them the key to cutting prison costs is to stop seeing a jail cell as the only answer to crime -- especially for drug users. Buss, meanwhile, has criticized the growing inclination of legislatures to create new crimes and enact mandatory sentencing laws - -- the latter long a favorite of Florida's "get tough" crowd. The News Journal Editorial Board has long urged lawmakers to re-examine the idea of incarceration as a cure-all for crime, especially when it comes to drugs. We'd prefer to see serious criminals -- especially violent ones -- kept behind bars longer, while finding better ways to handle other crimes. One worry is that some of Buss's ideas have already struggled in Florida. Former Department of Corrections Secretary Jim McDonough, a former Army colonel, also had impressive credentials four years ago when he proposed many of the same ideas, but was rebuffed by the Legislature. But McDonough's rigid style won him a lot of enemies. By all accounts Buss wins people over quickly. And today legislators are hungry for ways to save money. If Buss can offer them significant savings, they are likely to listen. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake