Correctional system costly, but reforms possible

*First appeared in the Jan. 9 edition of the Laurel Chronicle

In December 2013, the Mississippi Corrections and Criminal Justice Task Force released a series of recommendations in a 24-page report (which, in case you'd like some light reading, can be found at www.legislature.ms.gov). The legislatively-created task force was charged with developing policies that improve public safety, ensure clarity in sentencing, and control corrections costs.

Legislators recognized the ballooning costs of the correctional system, which spurred the creation of this task force. Task force studies show Mississippi's prison population has grown by 17 percent over the last ten years, with our state having the second-highest imprisonment rate in the country. "Absent policy change...Mississippi will need to house an additional 1,990 inmates by 2024," and that growth will require more than a quarter of a billion dollars - $266 million - in new spending, based on task force estimates.

It doesn't take a mathematician to understand that's a lot of money.

The task force recommendations have received bipartisan support, and most every member of the state's legislative leadership has embraced the notion of adopting some, if not all, of these changes to curb exploding costs.

The recommendations to control prison population and growth include expanding judicial discretion in imposing alternatives to incarceration, ensuring clarity and certainty in sentencing, focusing prison space on violent and career criminals, and strengthening supervision and intervention. Check out the full report for the 19 specific recommendations.

This isn't the first time lawmakers have grappled with rising costs at the Department of Corrections. In fact, it reminds me of - guess who - former Governor Haley Barbour and his "Operation: Streamline" initiative to eliminate the state’s more than $700 million budget shortfall over a two-year period. Doing so would require getting a handle on skyrocketing prison costs.

Part of Governor Barbour's "Operation: Streamline" plan was to ask the Legislature to give management authority and flexibility to departments and agencies that report directly to him. The Legislature approved this extra flexibility for the Dept. of Corrections, giving them freedom from State Personnel Board regulations.

What happened? Dept. of Corrections Commissioner Chris Epps used that authority to make significant changes. According to a 2004 Dept. of Corrections press release, the agency streamlined day-to-day operations by reducing staff "who were not coming to work consistently," eliminating unnecessary positions, and reorganizing operations. In addition to personnel actions, the Dept. of Corrections also removed 81 vehicles from its fleet of operation and also eliminated usage of 52 cell phones and pagers.

In his 2005 State of the State address, Gov. Barbour said the Corrections Department spent "5 percent less than last year - not 5 percent less than predicted, but 5 percent less than in FY 2004! And this despite a 3 percent increase in the number of prisoners incarcerated. That is a $15 million savings in one year by the department."

It was an impressive accomplishment made possible by cooperation between the Legislature, Governor Barbour, and the Dept. of Corrections. Commissioner Epps, who has served under multiple governors and still holds the same position at the department, deserves a lot of credit.

Mississippi's correctional system is in need of reform, and the current programs are too costly. But as we've seen before, smart reforms to cut costs without jeopardizing safety are possible to achieve in a relatively short amount of time.