Reducing prison beds in our state – what do you think?

During the 2009 session, the Legislature asked the Office of Financial Management to draft recommendations for closing or consolidating institutions in the Department of Corrections, and in the Department of Social and Health Services’ Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration and Division of Developmental Disabilities programs.

These reductions had to consider capital costs, economic impacts on communities, impacts on facility staff, projected savings and availability of alternative services for individuals with developmental disabilities.

The consultant hired to manage the review issued their preliminary report last month, causing quite a stir in numerous local papers. The final report was issued this week and the Legislature will take it under consideration in January.

As the list below shows, the prisons population in Washington has climbed precipitously the last few years – we incarcerate nearly three times as many people today than in the 1980s, despite the fact that crime has actually decreased.

Prison inmates per 1,000 residents (18 to 49 years old)
1980: 2.3
1990: 3.1
2000: 5.2
2006: 6.1
2020: 7.5*
2030: 7.7*

(*forecasted rates, if policies stay the same)

Why? A big reason is mandatory sentences for non-violent drug crimes.

The increased prison population comes at an increased cost. Each prison cell costs about $100,000 in taxpayer dollars to build and each prisoner costs about $35,000 per year to feed, clothe and guard.

To make our streets safer, lawmakers have passed reforms over the last decade to give longer prison sentences to sex offenders and violent criminals. To make room for these bad guys, we are helping non-violent drug offenders get clean and stay out of jail.

Now, with the budget so tight, some are suggesting additional reforms, such as giving judges more leeway when they hand down sentences instead of making it strictly a mathematical process. This is in addition to the three options for DOC and DSHS facilities recommended in the study. Stay tuned!