Auditor General recommends expanding existing alternative sentencing measures
Tougher sentencing guidelines, particularly for drug-related offenses, have helped to increase Pennsylvania’s prison population by five times over the past 30 years, but Auditor General Jack Wagner said $50 million a year could be saved if alternative sentencing measures are better implemented.
“Pennsylvania has alternative sentencing programs that have proven to be effective,” he said. “Unfortunately most are not used to their full potential. These programs are more cost-effective than prisons and have many positive benefits. We don’t want to house people to educate them to be better criminals. We want to do what the corrections system is defined to do – correct the behavior of the individual.”
Mr. Wagner also expressed a hope new Gov. Tom Corbett, formerly the state attorney general, would tackle the issue with his particular background and expertise.
According to a report released Thursday by the Office of the Auditor General, the cost of housing prisoners has tripled over the past 30 years, in part due to an aging population. In 1980, there were 370 prisoners aged 50 or older; in 2009, there were 7,949.
There are currently 51,487 prisoners in Pennsylvania, with over 2,100 new prisoners added during 2009. Each prisoner costs the state approximately $33,000 annually, for a total yearly cost of nearly $1.7 billion.
The state Department of Corrections projects that the prison population will swell to 61,146 by 2014 if existing trends continue. Pennsylvania added more prisoners than any other state in 2009. Florida came in second, more than 600 prisoners behind.
California, Michigan, New York, Maryland and Texas all reduced their prison populations in 2009. Michigan, along with Virginia, was one of two states Pennsylvania contracted with in early 2010 to house 2,000 prisoners for five years, at a cost of $250 million.
Meanwhile, four new prisons are being built in Pennsylvania, but by the time they are completed they will already be at capacity, said Mr. Wagner.
“With Pennsylvania facing its greatest budget crisis since the Great Depression, we must look for sustainable savings in every nook and cranny of state government, and that includes the criminal justice system, which is one of the three biggest drivers of increased spending over the past decade,” Mr. Wagner said.
He noted that Pennsylvania’s state budget has grown at twice the inflation rate over the past 10 years, from $19 billion to $28 billion, an increase of 47 percent. Corrections spending helped fuel the increase, with the Department of Corrections’ General Fund budget over the last 10 years increasing by $430 million.
Pointing to the fact 39 percent of Pennsylvania’s prison population are non-violent offenders, including drug offenders, drunk drivers, forgers, fraud offenders and those who received stolen property, Mr. Wagner recommended the expanded use of alternative sentencing measures to keep people out of prison.
Courtesy of the Office of the Auditor General
“While most economic sectors in the commonwealth remain mired in recession, prisons remain Pennsylvania’s largest growth industry,” said Mr. Wagner. “It’s time to stop building new prisons. We have to draw a line in the sand. That should not be one of our growth industries. It should be one in decline.”
In particular, the auditor general suggested programs already in place in Pennsylvania – including the restrictive intermediate punishment program and the Quehanna Motivational Boot Camp – should expand the offenses which are eligible for entry to the program.
He also argued for the removal of the requirement for a motion from the prosecutor and agreement of the defendant for referral to the State Intermediate Punishment Program, which is a two year substance abuse treatment program.
Mr. Wagner also recommended an increase in funding for the restrictive intermediate punishment sentence, which is harsher than probation but which avoids incarceration and the costs associated with it, and aims at maintaining community safety and reducing criminal recidivism.
Additionally, legislation introduced by state Sen. Stewart Greenleaf (R – Bucks) was endorsed by Mr. Wagner Thursday. The “Criminal Justice Reform Act” would create a Safe Community Reentry Program to reduce recidivism.
Tax incentives for businesses to hire released offenders were also advocated, as the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole has found employment reduces recidivism.
