Texas lawmakers think twice about building more prisons
The Norman Transcript
Texas lawmakers -- not known for being soft on crime ? are under the gun to add thousands of prison beds by 2011. They don't plan a big construction binge. Instead, they plan to make space for the inmates by moving them into supervised community programs and substance-abuse programs and free up beds held by minor drug and alcohol offenders.
The Dallas Morning News reports Texas prisons already hold more than 150,000 inmates and, like Oklahoma, are short of corrections officers. The plan is to work smarter, not harder, and still be tough on inmates. By contrast, Oklahoma has about 23,000 inmates in institutions.
"There's a strong consensus to do things differently, to continue being tough, but to be smart about inmates who need a different kind of treatment," Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston, told the News.
Texas Department of Corrections officials say they are already working to add more inmates to treatment programs. But, they say, more bed space is still needed. Texas needs two new general population penitentiaries and one dedicated to substance abuse.
Texas, like Oklahoma, expanded prisons years ago and contracted with private jails to house overflow inmates. Oklahoma and Texas also contract with county jails to house inmates they can't seem to find beds for.
Texas lawmakers say they are ready to take a more progressive, preventive approach to corrections management. They want to get away from the mentality that if you build them, inmates will be available to fill them up. Treatment and help straightening out lives will become a priority.
Studies say nearly 60 percent of all prison inmates have a chemical dependency, but only five percent are admitted to substance abuse programs. Waiting lists for such program are usually long.
http://www.normantranscript.com/opinion/local_story_009001557?keyword=secondarystory
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