Marijuana Policy Project

At a time when state lawmakers are combating massive budget deficits, state Sen. Victor Crist, R-Tampa, found a way to squeeze savings and inmates out of Florida's rapidly expanding prison system.

The measure, approved by the Legislature and signed by Gov. Charlie Crist, gives corrections officials the option of sending prisoners to other states. The law takes effect July 1.

With the number of state inmates topping a record 100,000 — about 6,000 less than current capacity — and money lacking for new prisons, state officials have to consider all options short of the early release of inmates.

Under Crist's scenario, Florida would transfer prisoners to states that have a surplus of beds. They would be compensated, of course. But Florida would be spared the cost of building more prisons.

Taxpayers shouldn't care where inmates serve their time as long as they are behind bars.

It's expensive to build prisons and house inmates. A 1,300-bed prison costs about $100 million to build today. Housing an average inmate costs more than $19,000 a year, according to the state Department of Corrections. As Sen. Crist, who chairs the Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee, told the Tribune's Catherine Dolinski, DOC accounts for 75 percent of the criminal justice budget.

DOC Secretary Walt McNeil isn't keen on turning to other states, arguing that shipping inmates out of state "undermines the goal of reducing recidivism." While that certainly is a desired goal, the recession and tough state budget times require officials to pursue viable cost-savings options, especially when it comes to ensuring that residents are safe.

And it's important to stress the Legislature isn't mandating that inmates be exported. It's simply an option.

If an inmate from Florida has to be shipped to another state to serve out a term, so be it. That's the price an inmate may have to pay for breaking the law. The law would mainly target inmates who don't have community ties or relatives in Florida, which makes sense. It requires DOC to weigh the proximity of the prisoner's family to the out-of-state facility.

That Florida may have to rely on out-of-state prison does raise the question of whether the state sentencing policies need review.

Nobody wants to see violent offenders go free. Indeed, Florida suffered a bloody crime spree in the 1990s, when convicts were released after serving but a fraction of their sentences. Tough-on-crime measures were subsequently passed that helped dramatically reduce the crime rate.

Yet today's sentencing polices may put drug and other nonviolent offenders in the slammer for many years.

The issue for both taxpayers and lawmakers is: Should more money be allocated to build yet more prisons to house the burgeoning inmate population, which could reach nearly 105,000 by next summer? Or should more resources be spent on drug rehabilitation programs and other services that could reduce the prison population and recidivism rates?

It does appear that many more people are being sent to prison these days than in the past, but the increase in Florida's overall population could be responsible.

State leaders need to have a thoughtful dialogue about whether alternatives to prison for certain offenses might be more effective and economical.

Meanwhile, Florida should not hesitate to ship prisoners to other states if that enables it to avoid prison construction costs without releasing miscreants before their time is served.