January 18, 2006

Dear Editor:

Utah clearly has a prison problem. In fact, most states do. Across the US, legislatures are struggling with overcrowding, lack of programming for inmates and the high cost of recidivism. In "Packed prisons: Finding a fix", Lisa Rosetta does a good job of summarizing the problem and at the very end of the article, she mentions privatizing the state's prison system.

The Association of Private Corrections and Treatment Organizations (APCTO) believes that public-private correctional partnerships are a legitimate part of the solution to the states problem. Such partnerships:

• Construct prison beds faster, sometimes as little as 12-15 months, and about 10-25% cheaper than public correctional services;
• Have operating costs that range from 6% to 12% lower than public correctional services;
• Provide a new source of capital funds so that state resources can be dedicated to schools and other public needs;
• Provide inmate services that are every bit as good or better than those provided by government operation; and
• Serve to reduce the operating costs of the remaining public prisons in the same state, according to a Vanderbilt University study.

Opponents of such partnerships offer many objections not based in fact. Consider:

• If salaries at private facilities were not competitive, they would have no workers.
• A well written, performance-based contract will ensure they proper degree of training and the availability of appropriate inmate treatment and education services.

Utah has considered public-private correctional partnerships before, but in the end, has walked away from the advantages they offer. The evidence suggests now is the time to use what so many other states find provides real savings and real benefits.

Sincerely,
 

 
Michael T. LoBue, CAE
Executive Director

January 17, 2006

The Salt Lake Tribune
Legislators grappling with how to relieve prison overcrowding are faced with two options: pay to fix the problem now, or pay later.

A bill slated for debate this session would do both, says Sen. David Thomas, R-South Weber. County jails, which house some state inmates, would be fully reimbursed for locking them up, while the Legislature would begin to piece together a long-range plan to build another prison.

Thomas said that under his proposal, the state would pay the counties as much as $5 million to $10 million more per year to house inmates in jails. In so doing, the bill would buy the state time to plan for another prison, expected to cost about $100 million.

The Department of Corrections contracts for about 1,500 county jail beds, but in the past, has not reimbursed the counties for the full cost. Corrections pays the counties $43 a day per inmate, but the real cost is closer to$70, prompting some counties to discontinue accepting the inmates.

"If the state expects the counties to be part of the solution . . . then we're going to have to start paying what actually costs," Thomas said.

The state's incarceration crisis became more acute in December when the prisons and county jails ran out of beds. Though the operational capacity of the state prison in Draper is 6,203, it held 6,340 inmates as of Friday, said Corrections spokesman Jack Ford.

Meanwhile, Utah is experiencing an increase of 250 to 300 inmates each year, a trend likely to continue for the next five years, Ford said.

To accommodate that growth, a 288-bed addition is being built at the state prison in Gunnison and is scheduled to open this fall. Beaver County is also expanding its jail by 200 beds, which will be contracted by the state.

"Once those two [facilities] come on line, that should take up the growth this year," Ford said.

At the Draper prison, bunks have been squeezed into dormitories to add a total of 80 or so beds, Ford said, a measure that has received only temporary approval from the state fire marshal.

Thomas' bill addressing the jail-bed issue is among several legislative measures affecting Corrections this year. Others:

• Sex offenders: There are currently 6,689 registered sex offenders in Utah. Corrections is responsible for maintaining a public registry and keeping track of offenders.
• However, Corrections has limited resources for treatment, supervision and tracking of released offenders, according to Corrections officials. The Legislature may consider Corrections' need for additional staff and funding for treating and supervising offenders.
• Sentencing reform: Criminal penalties and enhancements specified in Utah law have a direct effect on the need for prison beds and costs of other Corrections-related programs.
• The Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee has asked the Utah Sentencing all criminal penalties and enhancements to determine if they are consistent and appropriate, and to make recommendations to the Legislature.
• Corrections pay: Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. is proposing an 8 percent pay increase for the Corrections officers – a 2.5 percent cost of living adjustment and a two-step 5.5 percent raise.

If approved by the Legislature, Corrections officers' entry-level pay, now $12.14 an hour, would jump to$13.11, the largest raise prison officers have seen in at least five years.

Utah's improving economy coupled with the state's low pay prompted 151 certified officers to seek jobs at other agencies last year. Another 90 officers retired, making the prison's turnover rate 26 percent.

While the Legislature zeroed in on increasing Utah Highway Patrol troopers' salaries in 2005, this is the year Corrections officers may see raises "over and above" the normal cost of living adjustment, Thomas said.

"I'd like to try to at least get [Corrections officers' salaries] up to where county corrections officers are," the senator said.

Privatization: Last year, a legislative committee examined the benefits and drawbacks of privatizing the state's prison system. Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, chairman of the committee, said a test in privatization could be in place by the end of the session.

"I think we're close to getting that," he said. "I think we have a chance to build a minimum security prison, for one thing."

At the heart of the debate is whether it makes public policy sense for companies motivated by profit to maintain the state's prisons. Proponents say private prisons cost less than government-operated facilities; opponents say private prisons tend to use underpaid, poorly trained workers, a situation that can create security risks.

LRosetta@sltrib.com