Pubdate: Sat, 08 Nov 2003 Source: Huntsville Times (AL) .xml Copyright: 2003 The Huntsville Times Contact: http://www.htimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/730 Author: Anthony McCartney MORE INMATE RELEASES SEEN FOR DECEMBER Thousands of prisoners are eligible when state parole board next meets MONTGOMERY - Extra parole officers and additional parole hearings have helped the state's prisons lower inmate populations in recent months, according to updates from two state officials Friday. Speaking before the Alabama Sentencing Commission, Prison Commissioner Donal Campbell said the state has been able to return some female prisoners from out-of-state prisons and reduced inmate rolls enough that it doesn't have any inmates in county jails who have been there more than 30 days. The state prison system is under several court orders, including two to reduce the number of inmates and another requiring the removal of state prisoners from county jails within 30 days. William Segrest, executive director of the Board of Pardons and Paroles, told the commission that extra money provided by Gov. Bob Riley has led to 3,094 inmates being considered under an expedited parole docket started in April. Among those considered, 1,832 were granted parole - 380 women and 1,452 men. A second parole board will meet Dec. 1 to consider the possible release of thousands of more inmates. Segrest said the Board of Pardons and Paroles isn't operating under any quotas or mandates for the number of prisoners to be released. Campbell said the first candidates for early release in December will likely be from work-release programs. There are roughly 3,000 inmates on work-release eligible under the early release guidelines that will consider those convicted of DUIs, minor drug offenses and petty theft crimes. Other inmates who may be eligible to join work-release may be considered by the new parole board, Campbell said. "The inmates that will be left will not be eligible for work-release," he said. Even with the early release of prisoners, the fact that many are in work release doesn't substantially help the state's prison overcrowding problem, Campbell said. He stopped short of saying that it would end the work release program, which generates roughly $17 million of the $20 million it costs to run each. That sparked a debate among commission members, which includes judges, district attorneys and others, about whether it is wise to release inmates who have served their sentences without a transition back to civilian life. Segrest presented the results of a Department of Corrections survey on the number of prisoners released in 1999 who ended up back in prison. Segrest said of 7,946 people released, 2,683 returned to state custody. But those who were paroled returned at a far lower rate than those who simply served out their sentences - 22.2 percent of parolees returned compared to 37.1 percent of those who'd served their time, Segrest said. He also said the state's plans to open transition centers, which are intended to help convicts with mental illness or substance-abuse problems, is on hold until more money becomes available. The Lurleen B. Wallace Developmental Center in Decatur is among those considered for a transition center. Sentencing Commission members are also looking for alternatives to harsh sentencing laws that have loaded state prisons and limited judges' discretion on how to punish criminals. Jefferson County District Judge O.L. "Pete" Johnson summed up the state's current sentencing problems, saying, "Just locking folks up damn sure don't work." - --- MAP posted-by: Josh