Commentary: Look at alternatives to prisons
By Terence Farrell Local lockups, county jails, state prisons, and federal correctional institutions are filled and overflowing across the United States. The cost of housing all of the offenders is staggering, especially in this time when many needed social programs for the poor and those with disabilities are struggling to find funds to provide services.
By Terence Farrell
Local lockups, county jails, state prisons, and federal correctional institutions are filled and overflowing across the United States. The cost of housing all of the offenders is staggering, especially in this time when many needed social programs for the poor and those with disabilities are struggling to find funds to provide services.
A recent book, Justice or Just This?: A Constitutional Trespass, by Berks County Court Judge Jeffrey Kent Sprecher, reveals some eye-opening facts about incarceration in this country.
The book states that 25 percent of the world's prison population resides in the United States, and that we have the highest incarceration rate in the world - five times the average. The prison population has increased 1,100 percent in 30 years, according to Sprecher. In 1972, there were 200,000 inmates, and by 2010 the number had increased to 2.3 million.
The huge increase has put a strain on the pocketbooks of governments. In 2007, Sprecher reported, states spent $44 billion on prisons.
Finding smarter and less costly ways to rehabilitate and punish criminals is becoming a focus of many governments and governmental organizations across the country.
The National Association of Counties and the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania are both focusing on "smart justice" initiatives. This month, the commissioners association will be holding an event recognizing jails, detention centers, and partners in criminal justice for their efforts at advancing programs that reduce populations in jails, result in better outcomes post-release, and address public safety in innovative and nontraditional ways.
Chester County taxpayers spend millions on our justice system, including our prison. We are fortunate that the county has been a leader in diverting some of the criminal population from its prison to less costly and beneficial rehabilitative programs like Drug Court and Accelerated Rehabilitative Disposition (ARD).
Drug Court is an intensive-supervision program for drug offenders with addiction problems. The offender meets frequently with court and probation officers, with the goal of breaking the cycle of dependency and crime recidivism. If the offender successfully completes the program, his or her offenses are expunged. ARD is for first-time DUI offenses and low-level crimes. The program substitutes evaluations, treatment, and community service for incarceration, and also allows a defendant to have his or her record expunged.
These initiatives are championed and instituted by members of the county judiciary, and are supported by court-related departments and the Department of Human Services when dealing with issues such as mental health and drug and alcohol abuse.
Sadly, our jails and prisons will never be totally empty, as some members of our society prey on innocent and vulnerable citizens, and need to be segregated from the peaceful and law-abiding population. Many strict sentencing laws were passed after lenient sentences were handed out to criminals by judges in horrific cases that enraged the public. But we should explore more ways to divert those criminals who could benefit from alternative sentencing, as it would be beneficial to the offenders and taxpaying citizens.
