A few months ago NY Senator Chuck Schumer visited the Federal Correctional Institute at Otisville NY and used the overcrowding problem that he saw as a "photo op." It may be clear that Schumer saw the problem but what is equally clear is that he, like so many of his colleagues, was more interested in the symbolism than in the substance and completely missed the solution. Typically, his response was "let's throw some more money at it." That might be a good deal for the unions and corrections employees, but that solution won't hold water in the long term and Schumer knows it.
Matt Kelly in a
post at Change.org said: "Throwing money at our always-expanding prison population won't make it go away and it won't address the systemic problems under which the system is sagging." Matt went on to say, "He knows there are many among the 205,000 federal prisoners in the U.S. who have served too much time already for nonviolent offenses."
The crowding problem at FCI Otisville is typical of many other prisons all across the country. Otisville was built for 844 prisoners and at the time of the Senators visit held 1,205.
I would like suggest to Senator Schumer, and the rest of his colleagues in the Senate and in the House of Representatives, several ways that prison overcrowding may be corrected without additional cost to the taxpayers:
1-Immediately pass out of committee and sign into law H.R. 1529 the "Second Chance for Ex-Offenders Act of 2009" which will allow first time non-violent offenders to make application before the court to have their record expunged. By giving these ex-offenders a real "second chance" the recidivism rate will be greatly reduced resulting in a reduction of prison population and cost to the taxpayer. This legislation is the most important currently pending, as it will immediately allow thousands to seek relief thus allowing them to seek and gain meaningful employment.
2- Immediately pass out of committee and sign into law H.R. 1475 which will re-instate the good-time allowances for federal prisoners. Federal prisoners can currently earn a maximum of 47 days per year, the bill (which was introduced in the House in March) would expand that to as many as 120.
3- Immediately re-instate federal parole. Result, reduced prison population, reduced cost to taxpayer.
It may be possible to derive even greater benefit if H.R.1529, H.R.1475 and reinstatement of parole were combined into one bill. Certainly time and money would be saved by Congress only having to pass one piece of legislation rather than three.
4- Immediately correct the wording of the "Second Chance Act of 2007" (P.L. 110-199), signed into law April 9, 2008, by President Bush. The law "allows" the BOP to consider placing offenders in a halfway house for up to 12 months. Any rational person would consider this an opportunity to help offenders transition back to society and remove them from the prison population thus reducing overcrowding and taxpayer expense. BOP has elected to completely reject this option. The wording of the bill should be changed from "may" consider release, to "shall" consider release to a halfway house for 12 months or, if halfway house transition is considered un-necessary, as in the case of a person who has family support, requires no substance abuse or other treatment and has reasonable expectations of employment, to home confinement.
5-Immediately pass Sen. Webb's proposed legislation to initiate a study which will result in recommendations for a complete overhaul our judicial system but start with existing completed studies like "Smart on Crime: Recommendations for the Next Administration and Congress" by the 2009 Criminal Justice Coalition, in order to speed the process. Senator Schumer you are co-sponsor so what are you waiting for?
I submit that the answers and solutions to Criminal Justice Reform are not as hard as you and your colleagues would have the American people believe. I have just given you five ways to reduce the prison population and reduce the taxpayer’s burden in doing so while you can only recommend spending more of our money. "We The People" want you to start looking for reasonable, compassionate, cost effective solutions to our problems and stop throwing our money away on hearings and studies that produce no results and programs that do not work.