State exploring options to reduce prison population
by Garry Rayno

THE COST of keeping people locked up is growing faster than almost any other area of state government.

For this fiscal year, the Department of Corrections has an $83 million budget to keep several thousand criminals away from the public. Next fiscal year, it grows to $84.5 million.

Prison costs began rising about 20 years ago when lawmakers passed the "truth-in-sentencing" law, which requires a prisoner to serve his full sentence under corrections supervision.

One factor driving corrections costs higher is health care for prisoners. The price of pharmaceuticals has caught the attention of Gov. Craig Benson, who included mental health drugs in his plan to import drugs from Canada.

When lawmakers crafted the budget last year, they required Corrections to cut its budget by $3.4 million over the two years. The prison system is finding that hard to accomplish.

They also suggested that Corrections officials look into more electronic monitoring of low-risk inmates, which would reduce the prison population and could lead to the long-rumored closing of the Lakes Region correctional facility in Laconia.

Lawmakers also wanted prison officials to expand the Academy program in Laconia. It is a drug and alcohol prevention and treatment program designed to reduce the number of repeat offenders.

Two Republican lawmakers, Reps. Mark Derby and Ted Leach, introduced a bill this year to establish a "good time" program. It would let inmates earn time off for good behavior and get out before their sentences run their full course.

The bill has a public hearing before the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee Wednesday at 11 p.m. in Rooms 202-204 of the Legislative Office Building.

Tomorrow, [February 2, 2004] the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies will release a report titled "Options for Reducing the Prison Population and the Cost of Incarceration."

The architect of the truth-in-sentencing laws, former House Speaker Donna Sytek, worked on the report with Rick Minard. It concludes that the department could gain long-term savings by investing in programs and policies to reduce the prison population in the second half of the biennium.

The report also addresses the department's response to a legislative directive to reduce the prison population and increase participation in the Academy program.

Also included are discussions of the cost of incarcerating parole violators and statistics showing a steady decline in the inmate population in the last six months of 2003.

It remains to be seen just how lawmakers will reform the prison system. The governor's efficiency committee recommended it be turned over to the private sector. That is not likely, but a real shake-up is likely in the next few years as prison costs go up and up.