Monday, October 30, 2006
OVERFLOWING PRISONS
The Enid News-Eagle, a good small city daily, has published an appropriate editorial on the issue of overflowing state prisons. This issue should receive widespread discussion in an open forum of ideas, untainted by political posturing and demagoguery. It has not had this. Almost simultaneously with the appearance of the editorial, a candidate for governor started running commericals attacking the incumbent governor for freeing 1500 prisoners under the state's legal process for clemency and parole review.
Oklahoma has had a redneck "hang 'em high," or "lock 'em up and throw away the key" mentality. We have 25,000 state prison inmates as a result. That is the reason that we are first in the percent of women incarcerated, and in the top five for over-all incarceraton rate. That is why we have a prison finance problem. That is why we have 800 prisoners soon to be put out of a private prison with nowhere to go. That is why we have 400 state prisoners in the Oklahoma City jail, and countless others all over the state including Enid. Courts are trying to force transer of these into a prison system with no room.
Various estimates are that half of the prisoners have offenses that relate to alcohol and substance abuse, that 8,500 (a third) of our prisoners have a mental illness, that a fourth may be functionally illiterate, and that as many as two thirds lack employable education and skills. Yet our prison system must concentrate on just finding a cell bed for inmates and little else!
One has cause to wonder about the nature of the offenses and the length of sentences for prisoners. Of Course, there is little question about strict sentencing for murder, rape, child molestation, armed robbery, and the like. But prison sentences for simple possession of marijuana? Invading the privacy of homes to find small personal stashes of drugs or paraphernalia? Convicting a woman with a couple of pots of marijuana in her home? Jailing people for offenses of animal neglect and vehicular accidents? Perhaps some bi-partisan study group needs to take another look at the nature of offenses which merit severe prosecution and prison terms, as well as further study of alternatives to incarceration.
Further, one wonders at the logic of incarceration conditions. Do we really need the usual prison cells for non-violent and white collar offenders? Would less expensive, and more humane, dormitories with just fences do as well for many? Should more use be made of ankle bracelets, home and work confinement, and outside supervision? What about more work supervision with lock-down dormitories in off time? Should access to educational opportunities, drug treatment, and vocational training be essential elements in order to negate recidivism?
The point is that Oklahoma has more of a problem than just cell housing for the prisoners the system has condemned to serve time behind bars. Our excessive rate of incarceration needs examination. Do we really have more degenerates in our population than elsewhere? Do we have a penal code that is stricter? Is our standard for arrest and prosecution of offenders more strict? Are our judges too severe in sentences, and what about effects of mandatory sentencing? Do we not have good alternatives to prison? Have we too little concern with treating, as well as housing, prisoners? Do we really look for less expensive "minimal security" conditions for minor offenders?
Oklahoma must look closely at the financial costs of its prison system, because there are too many other state needs and priorities to let in continue its rise. There is also the need to examine its function as a significant rehabilitative service, as well as its punitive one.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
Oklahoma has had a redneck "hang 'em high," or "lock 'em up and throw away the key" mentality. We have 25,000 state prison inmates as a result. That is the reason that we are first in the percent of women incarcerated, and in the top five for over-all incarceraton rate. That is why we have a prison finance problem. That is why we have 800 prisoners soon to be put out of a private prison with nowhere to go. That is why we have 400 state prisoners in the Oklahoma City jail, and countless others all over the state including Enid. Courts are trying to force transer of these into a prison system with no room.
Various estimates are that half of the prisoners have offenses that relate to alcohol and substance abuse, that 8,500 (a third) of our prisoners have a mental illness, that a fourth may be functionally illiterate, and that as many as two thirds lack employable education and skills. Yet our prison system must concentrate on just finding a cell bed for inmates and little else!
One has cause to wonder about the nature of the offenses and the length of sentences for prisoners. Of Course, there is little question about strict sentencing for murder, rape, child molestation, armed robbery, and the like. But prison sentences for simple possession of marijuana? Invading the privacy of homes to find small personal stashes of drugs or paraphernalia? Convicting a woman with a couple of pots of marijuana in her home? Jailing people for offenses of animal neglect and vehicular accidents? Perhaps some bi-partisan study group needs to take another look at the nature of offenses which merit severe prosecution and prison terms, as well as further study of alternatives to incarceration.
Further, one wonders at the logic of incarceration conditions. Do we really need the usual prison cells for non-violent and white collar offenders? Would less expensive, and more humane, dormitories with just fences do as well for many? Should more use be made of ankle bracelets, home and work confinement, and outside supervision? What about more work supervision with lock-down dormitories in off time? Should access to educational opportunities, drug treatment, and vocational training be essential elements in order to negate recidivism?
The point is that Oklahoma has more of a problem than just cell housing for the prisoners the system has condemned to serve time behind bars. Our excessive rate of incarceration needs examination. Do we really have more degenerates in our population than elsewhere? Do we have a penal code that is stricter? Is our standard for arrest and prosecution of offenders more strict? Are our judges too severe in sentences, and what about effects of mandatory sentencing? Do we not have good alternatives to prison? Have we too little concern with treating, as well as housing, prisoners? Do we really look for less expensive "minimal security" conditions for minor offenders?
Oklahoma must look closely at the financial costs of its prison system, because there are too many other state needs and priorities to let in continue its rise. There is also the need to examine its function as a significant rehabilitative service, as well as its punitive one.
Dr. Edwin E. Vineyard, AKA The Militant Moderate
