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Same old Cycle

A

Anonymous

Guest
I had to laugh at this article- as I've seen this argument- and the opposing one for years...She ain't saying anything new...Its funny that usually the Dems promote and fund counselors, substance abuse centers, work projects, etc. etc., but cut back on jails funding....Then you end up with a shortage of jail space when the Repubs get in and say lock em all up and fund and build more jails, but cut out most of the substance abuse centers and counseling etc. etc.

Someday these idiots are going to have to learn you need a happy medium of both- one will not work without the other....
:roll: :lol:

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Expert: More cells won't end crowding in jails
By GREG TUTTLE
Of The Gazette Staff

Traditional assumptions about crime prevention have been debunked by recent studies, a criminal-justice expert told a group of local officials Wednesday.

For example, said Mimi Carter, director of the Maryland-based nonprofit Center for Effective Public Policy, convicted criminals who spend long stretches in prison are more likely to commit new crimes after they are released.

"The longer we incarcerate them, the worse they get," she said.

Solving the problem of overcrowded prisons and jails will take a coordinated effort involving a wide spectrum of state, local and private interests, Carter told about 15 people on the ad hoc Detention Dilemma Group, a committee of the Montana Board of Crime Control. The group was formed last year to look for short- and long-term solutions to overcrowding at county jails and state prisons. The answer, she said, is not simply building more cells to hold offenders.

Assessing each offender's circumstances, including criminal, social and health history, and then directing the appropriate community resources, is one way to reduce the rate of recidivism, or repeated criminal conduct, Carter said.

"We need to look at what we have in our community and jails and prisons to address the service needs of our offenders," Carter said. "It's about public safety. We know if we do this right, they are less likely to commit new crimes."

Carter was at Montana State University-Billings to present her organization's findings and recommendations. The Center of Effective Public Policy was contracted through a grant from the National Institute of Corrections to assess Montana's correctional system and make recommendations on how to reduce the number of inmates without compromising public safety, said U.S. Marshal Dwight MacKay, a member of the ad hoc group and vice chairman of the state Board of Crime Control.

MacKay said the meeting Wednesday gave officials new tools to reduce recidivism rates, which have been a major contributor to the problem of overcrowding at jails and the state prisons. In the past, MacKay said, criminal-justice officials battled crime by building more cells.

"We're looking at corrections in a different way than we used to," he said. "I don't think anybody likes where we're headed as far as overcrowded jails, expensive prisons and more inmates."

Carter presented the group with the results of a survey conducted by the nonprofit organization this summer. The findings will also be reviewed today at a meeting of the Board of Crime Control.

MacKay said the findings could be used to set a direction for improvements to the state's correctional system. The committee's goal is to bring together a diverse group, including mental health and substance abuse treatment providers, to look for new ways to reduce crime, he said.

Building new jails and prisons or adding space to existing facilities will remain an option for reducing prison overcrowding, MacKay said.

"The idea is you're not going to have to build so much so quick," he said. "The key is to slow the pace of construction with other options and alternatives."

Carter told the group that cooperation and information are keys to relieving the overcrowding of Montana's jails and prisons while maintaining public safety. She presented three major findings from an initial survey conducted this summer.

• Who is in jail or prison, and why? An analysis of the jail and prison inmate populations is needed. The survey noted that between 70 and 80 percent of inmates at the Yellowstone County jail are awaiting trial. Pretrial incarceration lasts between six months and two years, the survey found. "Frankly, six months to two years for a pretrial detainee is exceptionally long," Carter said.

• Several factors are contributing to the overcrowding, including the lack of offender assessments and pre-sentence investigations for misdemeanor offenders, and a lack of community-based interventions for substance abuse and mental health treatment.

• A more collaborative approach among agencies and others directly and indirectly involved in criminal justice is needed. "You know, there's really no single agency in charge of this thing we call the criminal-justice system," Carter said.
 
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