Alaska's increasing prison population and rising corrections costs have been a reality for years. However, housing prisoners may not be the most cost-effective way to solve this public safety problem for Alaskans.
Alaska is a nationwide leader in prison population growth, even as our crime rate decreases. Two out of 3 people who have been incarcerated are back in custody within three years of release. One out of every 32 Alaskans has been under the supervision of the Department of Corrections. The cost of incarceration is incredible – about $50,000 per inmate per year.
Building and operating prisons is even more expensive. Goose Creek Correctional Center (completed in 2011) cost the state $250 million to build and $50 million to operate yearly. At our current growth rate, the state's prisons will be operating at full capacity by 2016. We will need to build another prison within 3 years. The state must either start planning to build a new prison or look at proven practices that reduce recidivism.
In 2007, Texas faced the same problem. Today, they are a leading example of how to reinvest in and reform a criminal justice system. Texas lawmakers saw fast growing prison populations and were faced with spending $500 million on new prisons. Instead, they invested $240 million in corrections and sentencing reforms. In doing so, they ended up saving half a billion dollars. Today, prison populations in Texas are at a five-year low and the state's crime rate is declining more than the national average. For the first time in the state's history, Texas closed a prison.
While Alaska and Texas are very different, the same approaches to sentencing and corrections reform can be applied here. With that goal in mind, the Senate Judiciary Committee introduced Senate Bill 64 to address some of these problems and slow the growth of our corrections budget.
SB 64 establishes the Alaska Sentencing Commission. The commission will be made up of judges, legislators, commissioners, and members of the community to review and make recommendations to improve our criminal justice system. Another part of SB 64 is to allow people who have lost their driving privileges to use a limited license if they consent to a.m.-p.m. monitoring while going through treatment. This allows them to enter into a more productive life.
Most importantly, SB 64 emphasizes accountability and personal responsibility. It requires swift and certain punishment for violating conditions of probation or parole. Currently, the law is unclear about how many probation or parole violations lead to incarceration. Some people violate the conditions of their probation several times before being punished. When a probation officer determines incarceration is required, an offender can sometimes wait months before appearing in front of a judge and even longer before returning prison.
SB 64 raises the level of accountability for those on probation and parole. As soon as an infraction occurs, a judge will issue a warrant for the person's arrest and they will be sent to jail. Rapid consequences create more consistency and decrease violations. These are positive lessons learned from a pilot project in Anchorage known as Probation Accountability with Certain Enforcement (PACE). The state would see big savings by taking these accountability measures statewide.
This year, I worked with the governor in pushing for tougher sentencing of violent crimes, such as child pornography, sexual assault, and human trafficking. However, prison costs are too high to continue housing non-violent prisoners who can be held accountable in other ways. Let's use the prisons for people who must be there for safety of the public.
Alaska is at a crossroads right now. SB 64 has bipartisan support – a unique opportunity to do something big for Alaska. Reforming our criminal justice system compliments the principles I hold dear: better public safety, stronger fiscal discipline, and more personal responsibility. Many states have taken the lead on investing in this area. It's time we follow suit and stop the revolving door that sees two thirds of former inmates return to prison. We do this by investing in strategies that have proven to work.
Let's hold people accountable and allow them to become productive citizens while honoring victims and serving justice.
Sen. John Coghill, a Republican, represents Fairbanks and North Pole in the Alaska State Senate. He serves as majority leader and chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
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