Pubdate: Wed, 17 Aug 2011 Source: Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, FL) Copyright: 2011 Sun-Sentinel Company Contact: http://drugsense.org/url/mVLAxQfA Website: http://www.sun-sentinel.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/159 SENTENCING REFORM COULD BE A BETTER ROUTE THAN PRISON PRIVATIZATION The Issue: Lawsuit Seeks to Stop Prison Privatization In preparing a massive change to shave $22 million from its prison budget, the state is overlooking other reforms that could save plenty more money. The state Department of Corrections is readying to complete the largest prison privatization project in the country. On Jan. 1, if all goes according to schedule, 29 state prisons in 18 Florida counties, including South Florida's, will be operated by private companies. The operative word is scheduled. The process could be halted by a lawsuit filed by the Florida Police Benevolent Association on behalf of unionized prison guards. The Sun Sentinel Editorial Board hasn't been very supportive of state employee unions. In this case, however, we wouldn't be disappointed if the lawsuit succeeds. Privatizing prisons won't be the end of the world. The state has already privatized seven facilities. Our concern is that this next, much larger stage of privatization has eclipsed and shelved potentially more fruitful, cost-effective changes. One of those is sentencing reform. Florida has an inmate population of 102,000 men and women locked up in 144 facilities. It costs, on average, $19,469 per year to house an inmate. The corrections budget is $2.3 billion. Advocates and lawmakers have argued "" convincingly "" that the state judiciary has been required to lock up many non-violent drug users when cheaper alternatives could have been employed. It makes sense that a pain pill addict caught buying or in possession of 24 grams of pills might fare better "" and at much less expense to taxpayers "" in drug treatment than with a 15-year prison sentence. But good luck trying to convince lawmakers jittery about being labeled as soft on crime. In fact, just this past session, state Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, and state Rep. Ari Porth, D-Coral Springs, offered legislation to give judges more leeway in fashioning sentences to fit an offense. Ed Buss, the head of the Department of Corrections, was on record saying he supported giving judges more discretion. Yet, the legislation failed. And so, now, the state is planning a massive hand-over of prison management. Sounds to us like a better option would be to allow judges to do the job they are best suited for: dispensing justice. Bottom Line: Sentencing reform could be a better route than prison privatization. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.