Attica

State budgets have fallen on hard times, which means states have less money for everything, including prisons. At Attica prison in New York, that has meant many convicts are being released after serving only minimum sentences.

But the efforts to save money have turned out to be a blessing in disguise.  People who run programs that prepare prisoners for society after incarceration have realized that programs like that and rehabilitation efforts save a lot of money.

Reducing recidivism

Keeping a person in jail for a year costs $40,000. It used to be that most of the prisoners were not there for their first time. Before states started running programs that helped treat people with drug addictions and helped prisoners get ready to be back in society, inmates were basically given a bus pass and tossed out on the streets. There was more of a chance that they would return than that they’d stay out. Surviving in society takes quite a bit of money, and prisoners are more likely to re-offend than they are to jobs or personal loans.

Changing laws

The New York legislature is working on changing some laws that have kept drug users in prison for years. Other states, including Michigan, New Jersey and North Carolina, are either releasing some prisoners who have served their minimum time or putting drug offenders in treatment programs instead of prison.

Without re-entry and rehabilitation programs, two-thirds of inmates return to prison. Half of those that return do so because of technical violations, like breaking parole. The system usually only has enough money to detect violations, not to help people who have drug relapses.

A good investment

Now states are discovering that investing money in helping prepare prisoners to return to society saves a lot more in the long run. New York has invested in opening a number of specialized re-entry units. The units are closer to residential neighborhoods, whereas Attica is an eight-hour drive from New York City, where most of the inmates live.

In the new re-entry units, inmates spend the last three to four months of their sentences meeting with state and community social-service agencies to help line up housing, jobs and drug-rehab programs. State officials are hoping that their efforts will allow them to eventually shut down one of their prisons. So far the prison population in New York has been decreased by more than 10,000.

Crime is taking a bite out of state budgets.

A report from the Pew Center on the States says there are twice as many adults in the corrections system now than there were 25 years ago.

That amounts to a big chunk of state budgets. The report says changing sentencing laws and probation programs would lower incarceration rates and save states money.

Changing the rules

Adam Gelb, director of the Center’s Public Safety Performance Project, agrees that keeping certain criminals locked up might not be worth it. As states are relying on quick loans from the government to get by, they should consider changing corrections tactics.

“Violent and career criminals need to be locked up, and for a long time. But our research shows that prisons are housing too many people who can be managed safely and held accountable in the community at far lower cost,” he said.

The U.S. Department of Justice reports that The United States has the highest incarceration rate and the biggest prison population of any country.

A costly punishment

State spending on criminal justice has gone up 300 percent in the last 20 years. It’s the fastest-growing area of spending after Medicaid. Gelb says states that spend more than others do so because of policies rather than crime rates.

“The huge differences between states are mostly due not to crime trends, or social and economic forces. The rates are different mostly because of choices that the states have made about how they respond to crime,” he said.

Best bang for your buck

Georgia has the highest percentage of incarcerated residents.

Gelb says that when it comes to spending on corrections, “community supervision strategies and technologies need to be strengthened” rather than scaled back.

He makes the argument that states can use ankle bracelets, Global Positioning Systems and other programs to track those on probation. The cost per criminal when compared to housing an inmate is significantly less.

Lawmakers had a tough weekend.

Looks like California could use some quick loans right about now. The state with the world’s eighth-largest economy can’t seem to get its budget on track. Even after lawmakers worked through the weekend, the state must continue budget negotiations.

Rough rules

California has a couple of things working against it. First, the state requires that two-thirds of the legislature approves the budget. The last word on the $40 billion proposed bill was that it was one vote short of passing. But a vote is a vote.

Secondly, the state’s constitution forbids running at a deficit. So unless California can get some quick loans for more than $40 billion, it needs to make cuts and raise cash.

Cold cuts

Cutting is exactly what the state will do. The California government has cut down on the cost of employee salaries by forcing some state employees to take unpaid leave. The state is also planning an additional $15.1 billion in spending cuts.

New taxes

The budget now contains higher sales tax, income and gasoline taxes and higher vehicle licensing fees. Some of these measures will be put up for a vote in May. So, even if California lawmakers do reach an agreement and sign the budget, they could face more challenges later.

Still doesn’t add up

Even with $15.1 billion in spending cuts and $14.4 billion in new taxes, it still doesn’t make up for the $42 billion budget gap the state is facing. California is hoping some federal funding is coming its way and planning to borrow some quick loans to the tune of about $11.4 billion.

Related articles

• States Looking To Cut Services, Raise Taxes As Revenue Declines, Budget Deficits Mount (medicalnewstoday.com)
• Big Government, Schwarzenegger-Style (usnews.com)
• California Residents Hit With Sales, Personal Income Increases (shoppingblog.com)

10,000 California state workers could lose jobs if new budget is not passed says Governor Schwarzenegger (telegraph.co.uk)

Cause and effect

Unemployment is at an all-time high. Fewer people getting paychecks amounts to lower income tax collection. This leaves government programs strapped for cash, much like some consumers who need installment loans.

In states including Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky, this means programs designed to rehabilitate young criminals are being slashed from budgets. Programs that provide counseling and individual attention are being axed. Juveniles are being relegated to more traditional correctional facilities. In short, instead of being rehabilitated, more young criminals are merely being punished and then sent back into society.

Which programs are being affected?

South Carolina has shut down five group homes. These homes generally house non-violent criminals and focus on individual attention and counseling.  The state is also cutting after-school programs in detention facilities and youth reform programs.

Kentucky is getting rid of a boot-camp style program developed by the national guard. Virginia is shutting down a facility that prepares kids to go home before releasing them from juvenile detention centers. Florida is  cutting three Associated Marine Institute programs.

Where are these kids going instead?

With the group homes and community programs gone, teens end up in correctional facilities. Petty thieves end up sharing cells with felons and juveniles with charges for guns and assault.

Pecking order mentality and punishment-focused treatment in traditional lockup creates more hardened criminals that are more likely to re-offend, countless studies have shown. So the extra cash states are saving on juvenile justice programs will likely be spent on housing adult offenders who started out in juvenile correctional facilities.

“If you raise a child in prison, you’re going to raise a convict,” said South Carolina Juvenile Justice Director Bill Byars.

How much money are programs losing?

Byars is credited with turning around the South Carolina juvenile justice system. He has created programs that focus on counseling children and teaching them life skills.

South Carolina represents some of the deepest cuts in the nation. Byars has already cut $23 million, 20 percent, from his budget. Now he is being asked to cut an additional 15 percent.

Lockup vs. Rehabilitation

In South Carolina, 22 percent of the juveniles who go through rehabilitation programs re-offend. That’s half the number who commit crimes after a stay in a correctional facility.

Adult programs show a similar pattern. Criminals that go through rehabilitation programs that provide life-skill training and counseling are generally half as likely to end up back in prison.

In short, states that slash juvenile rehabilitation will likely end up spending lots of extra cash to build facilities to lock up adult offenders later. At least with installment loans people know exactly what the costs are.