For Immediate Release
March 24, 2010
Contact: Nathan Flood
717-787-4420
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A Conversation with Senator Brubaker

Prison Costs Put Added Stress on State Budget

One of the most pressing problems in the state budget is the increase in costs for the Department of Corrections. While we continue to search for savings in the state budget to help control spending and avoid tax increases, the governor is proposing a $136.8 million increase in corrections spending to deal with the rising number of inmates in Pennsylvania's prison system.

The prison population in the state has exploded in recent years. While the state's overall population has increased by just 6.2 percent over the past three decades, the inmate population has grown by more than 500 percent, increasing from less than 8,300 in 1980 to more than 51,000 today. Between 2000 and 2007, the population soared by 9,000 inmates. The Department of Corrections reports that the state prison population grew by 28 percent over the past ten years and is forecast to rise by an additional 24 percent in the next five years. A three-month parole moratorium in 2008 to address a pair of high-profile cases of parolees murdering Philadelphia police officers added to the stress on the system, and the corresponding drop in parole rates have added even more stress to the prison system.

It costs the state approximately $40,000 per year for each prisoner in state prisons and roughly $18,000 for prisoners in county prisons. It costs approximately $1,250 per year to monitor prisoners released on probation and approximately $2,750 per year for prisoners who are released on parole. However, the high recidivism rate among those released from prison makes it problematic to release more prisoners on probation or parole.

The state has experienced added costs and an increased prison population due to the number of prisoners who are released on parole who return to prison because they commit another crime or violate the terms of their release. A recent Department of Corrections study found that 46 percent of parolees return to prison within three years, with less serious offenders having the highest rates of recidivism. Many of the parolees who return to prison do not commit a criminal offense, but commit technical violations, such as breaking curfew or failing to report to their assigned parole officer. Reducing the recidivism rate, especially among non-violent offenders, could have a strong positive effect on the entire prison system and dramatically reduce costs to taxpayers.

Due to a growing inmate population, prison overcrowding is becoming a serious problem. There are currently more than 4,600 more prisoners incarcerated in Pennsylvania than the overall bed capacity of the entire state. Fifteen of the state's 27 state prisons are operating at more than 120 percent of their current bed capacity. This prison overcrowding not only puts a strain on taxpayers, it presents a serious danger to corrections officers and prison staff. The dual problems of overcrowding and recidivism deserve our attention, and we must examine this issue to find solutions that will reduce our inmate population and reduce costs without having a negative effect on public safety.

In next week's column, I will examine some of the proposals that have been introduced to reduce prison costs and help reduce recidivism, as well as the steps the General Assembly has already taken to ease this burden on taxpayers.

For more information on issues of importance to Lancaster and Chester County residents, please visit my website at senatorbrubaker.com.