Pubdate: Sun, 10 Apr 2005 Source: Montgomery Advertiser (AL) Copyright: 2005 The Advertiser Co. Contact: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/customerservice/letter.htm Website: http://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1088 Note: Letters from the newspaper's circulation area receive publishing priority Author: Kenneth Glasgow and Kobi Little Alabama Voices ALABAMA NEEDS 'NEW BOTTOM LINE' IN PRISONS Alabama prisons are overcrowded. In fact, Alabama prisons are 114 percent over capacity and despite the proclamations of certain state officials, plenty of the people who are packed like sardines in these prisons can and should be released. Many of the people in this category are nonviolent offenders who have been reincarcerated because of technical parole violations. There are hundreds of people in Alabama correctional facilities not because they committed more crimes, but because they missed a meeting with their parole officer or were noncompliant with other parole regulations. Yes, it is important for individuals who are on parole to comply with the terms of their parole, but in Alabama the problem is that too many people are on parole too long. When this happens, parole morphs from a lifeline used for successful societal reintegration into a rope that trips and hangs people who are trying to lead normal law-abiding lives. Today in Alabama, there are 11,605 prisoners who are serving time past their original parole eligibility date and 2,843 of those persons are low-level, nonviolent offenders. Likewise, there are thousands of people who, after serving time in prison, are released but are required to remain on parole for five to 10 additional years. Herein lies the problem. Criminologists at the JFA Institute, a leading research organization, have determined that beyond the first year parole becomes less effective and is a major burden on prisons and parole boards. Keeping low-level, nonviolent offenders incarcerated is a poor use of valuable, limited bed space. Jesus declared that he came to set the captive free. For those who love Jesus and his message of reconciliation, it is time to speak up and demand sentencing and parole reform. Everyone, from individual citizens to religious leaders, to policy makers, to prison officials, to corporate executives, has a stake in eliminating prison overcrowding and ineffective parole practices. We can implement meaningful change if we acknowledge that there is a problem and that the problem can be solved. In these austere times we must look at the fiscal, societal and human impact of prison overcrowding and bad sentencing practices and find the will to do better. We must look at the irrefutable body of evidence that has been presented to us by researchers and educate ourselves and others on the importance of sentencing and parole reform. Year in and year out the Alabama Sentencing Commission has made recommendations for developing sensible sentencing practices. We applaud Sen. Roger Smitherman and Rep. Marcel Black for having the fiscal, common and moral sense to introduce Senate Bill 365 and House Bill 647, companion bills known as the Effective Parole and Public Safety Act. Now the people of Alabama must demand that state legislators take heed and pass this legislation mandating the termination of parole for individuals who successfully comply with parole guidelines for two years. The old paradigm in corrections was to respond to prison overcrowding by ignoring it, denying it or building new prisons. In the 21st century, Alabama must embrace a new paradigm that really solves problems and enables all Alabamians to realize their fullest potential. Our policy decisions should be guided by a matrix that asks "Does this decision advance justice, fairness, reason, compassion, freedom, and spirituality and does it reduce death, disease, harm and suffering in our communities?" In short, Alabama must embrace a new bottom line. Simply stated, the new bottom line is this: Alabamians must reform sentencing and parole practices, release nonviolent offenders from prison, invest in community-based youth and treatment programs, develop effective community reintegration programs and open the doors of employment to those who have been incarcerated. In so doing we will move our state, our quality of life and our economy forward by leaps and bounds. Kenneth Glasgow of Dothan is the founder and president of The Ordinary People Society, or TOPS. Kobi Little of Selma is the founder of the Institute for Theology and Social Justice. Together they direct the New Bottom Line Campaign, a statewide effort to reform sentencing and other criminal justice practices in Alabama. - --- MAP posted-by: Elizabeth Wehrman