Pubdate: Sun, 30 Oct 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 STATE PRISONS NEED DRUG TREATMENT ALTERNATIVE State Sen. Ellyn Bogdanoff, R-Fort Lauderdale, and state Rep. Ari Porth, D-Coral Springs, are at it again. The two lawmakers are trying to pass needed, positive legislation to help the state of Florida reduce the costs of operating its prisons. Lawmakers ought not to miss the opportunity to do so -- again. The legislation -- CS/HB 177 and SB 448 -- establishes a re-entry program for nonviolent offenders that offers intensive substance abuse treatment, adult education courses and vocational training as alternatives to long prison sentences. The idea is to reduce recidivism, which is essential if state officials want to get a handle on the costs of incarceration. If the legislation sounds familiar, that's because it was part of a more ambitious bill the two lawmakers filed last year. That bill also included a provision to overturn mandatory minimum drug sentences. The effort promised to be worthwhile given the inflexibility in drug sentencing that ends up locking away men and women who could benefit from less expensive alternatives, like probation and drug counseling. Maddeningly, that bill died in the recent session of the Florida Legislature as lawmakers preferred to cut other programs and services rather than save money through pragmatic changes to sentencing laws. In the meantime, Florida's prison costs are again drawing ire in another tight budget year. State Department of Corrections officials should vocally back measures, like Bogdanoff's and Porth's bill, that will save money and reduce recidivism. The Legislature should act on any responsible proposal to ensure prison operating costs are excessive, which should be a no-brainer given the revenue estimates that show the state could run a projected deficit approaching $2 billion. There are just over 101,000 inmates in Florida's prisons. According to a recent tallies, it costs $19,469 a year to house, feed, clothe and care for each inmate -- and the average stay is about five years. If the Bogdanoff-Porth bill becomes law, nonviolent offenders who prison officials identify as needing substance abuse treatment and have served at least half their sentences would be eligible to participate in a re-entry program that lasts at least three months. If the inmate successfully completes the program, a judge will modify the sentence and place the inmate on drug-offender probation. Any violation of probation results in the imposition of the original sentence. The legislation deserves full vetting -- and quick passage if no major objections are raised. Unlike prison privatization and the more controversial ideas to cut state prison costs, the re-entry program is a simple solution that promises both savings and a much-needed reduction in the state's ongoing recidivism problem. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard R Smith Jr.