Pubdate: Wed, 17 Jan 2001 Source: Hartford Courant (CT) Copyright: 2001 The Hartford Courant Contact: http://www.hartfordcourant.com/ Forum: http://chat.courant.com/scripts/webx.exe Author: Dwight F. Blint STUDY: EXPAND PRISONS, DRUG TREATMENT A state panel is recommending the expansion of existing prisons and the construction of a 500-bed drug-treatment and pre-release facility as the cornerstone of its plan to accommodate the state's growing prison population. The governor's prison and jail overcrowding commission, which released its report Tuesday, also proposes expanding mental-health programs, increasing the number of parole and probation officers and giving judges more discretion in sentencing drug-dependent, non-violent offenders. The panel's suggestions contradict some significant proposals of another state committee examining prison overcrowding. The legislative program review and investigations committee late last year called for the state to turn away from construction and instead rely on community-based programs and shorter prison stays to ease overcrowding. Department of Correction Commissioner John J. Armstrong leads the prison and jail overcrowding commission. That panel includes Arthur L. Spada, Commissioner of the Department of Public Safety; Chief State's Attorney John M. Bailey; and Lt. Gov. Jodi Rell. The legislative program review and investigations committee is an arm of the state legislature made up of staff members. Christina Polce, a spokeswoman for the Department of Correction, attributed the differences in the recommendations to the overcrowding commission's aim to provide alternatives to incarceration and give judges discretion while holding criminals responsible for their crimes. "We don't want to seem soft on crime," said Polce. Polce said the 500-bed facility would hold inmates in need of drug treatment for her agency, for the judicial branch and for the departments of parole and probation. State officials estimate that about 80 percent of inmates need drug treatment. The report does not make a recommendation on where the facility would be built. The center could also help to resolve some of the racial disparity in the state's prison system, a long-held concern of lawmakers and civil-rights advocates. About 70 percent of the state's inmates are black or Hispanic, while those groups make up approximately 20 percent of the overall state population. Many of those inmates were arrested as a result of aggressive drug-enforcement efforts in urban areas. Many drug-related crimes have mandatory minimum sentences. Polce said that building the facility proposed by the commission on overcrowding and giving judges more discretion could provide an alternative to placing drug-dependant offenders in prison. "We're trying to serve the needs of the legislature and address the concerns they have brought up," said Polce, adding that the committee would be working to develop legislative support for its plan. The report lists prison expansion as its first recommendation. The state has been seeking to add 1,600 prison beds to a system that holds about 16,700 inmates in 20 facilities. Some municipalities that host prisons have expressed interest in having the state expand the facilities in their towns. State Rep. Michael Lawlor, D-East Haven, said he's on board with the report's recommendations. "I thinks that it's a very balanced proposal," Lawlor said. Lawlor, chairman of the legislative's judiciary committee, said more effort should be made to put non-violent offenders into treatment programs, reserving expensive prison beds for violent criminals. He said that shift in emphasis is happening around the country. Lawlor said he also supports efforts to lower the caseloads for parole and probation officers and to slowly move inmates back into the community. "One day you're in prison, and the next day you're out the door," Lawlor said. "There's not enough preparation in getting them out the door," he said. He predicted that the result of more pre-release treatment would be reduced recidivism rates. - --- MAP posted-by: Kirk Bauer