Amy
05-12-2004, 09:28 PM
Posted on Wed, May. 12, 2004
Mississippi lawmakers looking at early release proposals
SHELIA HARDWELL BYRD
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. - A new report says 8.9 percent of Mississippi's total prison population is serving a life sentence, and experts say the figure is likely to increase.
Nationally, the number of prisoners serving life sentences has increased 83 percent in the past 10 years as tough-on-crime initiatives have led to harsher penalties, according to the study released this week by The Sentencing Project, a Washington-based group that promotes alternatives to prison.
The report said the increases are not the result of more crime, since violent crime fell significantly during the period covered by the study. Rather, longer mandatory sentences and more restrictive parole and commutation policies are most responsible, the report said.
In Mississippi, 2,003 inmates - including 285 who are not eligible for parole - are serving life sentences.
Ryan King, research associate for The Sentencing Project, said Wednesday the growing number of inmates serving life sentences is going to create economic problems for Mississippi and other states. He said the average lifetime cost of housing an inmate is $1 million.
"As the costs go up, the numbers go up and the average age of the person in prison increases. You've got an older prison population, and the inherent health care costs," King said.
Mississippi's lawmakers are scrambling for ways to stymie prison population growth.
"The state of Mississippi, without increasing taxes, can no longer afford to incarcerate nonviolent offenders for the amount of time they are receiving," said House Corrections Chairman Bennett Malone, D-Carthage.
"It's going to be very pressing upon the Legislature to look at truth-in-sentencing," he said.
Mississippi's truth-in-sentencing law requires most inmates to serve 85 percent of their sentence before they're considered for parole.
Malone and Senate Corrections Chairman Robert "Bunky" Huggins, R-Greenwood, said this summer they'll review some of the state's sentencing laws.
In the just-ended 2004 session, lawmakers passed a bill that will allow some nonviolent inmates to work time off their sentences. Malone said lawmakers may take another look at amending the law to include drug offenders, depending on the crime committed.
"If it's a big time drug dealer, we're not going to look at him," Malone said. "Violent offenders, we're not going to even look at. They're going to stay there and do there time and we're going to make it just as rough on them as we can."
Lawmakers also may look at the state's drug possession law.
Before July 1998, a person charged with simple possession of cocaine could get a maximum three-year sentence. Currently, the maximum sentence for the same charge escalates depending on the amount of the drug.
For instance, a person convicted of possessing 2 to 10 grams of cocaine could get four to 16 years in prison, while a conviction for possessing more than 30 grams is 10 to 30 years.
Charlie Wood, an assistant district attorney in Harrison County, said most of the drug offenses his office prosecutes are less than 2 ounces.
"Typically, a crack cocaine user is going to have a small amount of cocaine on him - less than a gram," Wood said. "Addicts don't carry that stuff around with them. They smoke it if they've got it."
Wood said the focus should be on treating drug offenders for their addiction.
Mississippi lawmakers looking at early release proposals
SHELIA HARDWELL BYRD
Associated Press
JACKSON, Miss. - A new report says 8.9 percent of Mississippi's total prison population is serving a life sentence, and experts say the figure is likely to increase.
Nationally, the number of prisoners serving life sentences has increased 83 percent in the past 10 years as tough-on-crime initiatives have led to harsher penalties, according to the study released this week by The Sentencing Project, a Washington-based group that promotes alternatives to prison.
The report said the increases are not the result of more crime, since violent crime fell significantly during the period covered by the study. Rather, longer mandatory sentences and more restrictive parole and commutation policies are most responsible, the report said.
In Mississippi, 2,003 inmates - including 285 who are not eligible for parole - are serving life sentences.
Ryan King, research associate for The Sentencing Project, said Wednesday the growing number of inmates serving life sentences is going to create economic problems for Mississippi and other states. He said the average lifetime cost of housing an inmate is $1 million.
"As the costs go up, the numbers go up and the average age of the person in prison increases. You've got an older prison population, and the inherent health care costs," King said.
Mississippi's lawmakers are scrambling for ways to stymie prison population growth.
"The state of Mississippi, without increasing taxes, can no longer afford to incarcerate nonviolent offenders for the amount of time they are receiving," said House Corrections Chairman Bennett Malone, D-Carthage.
"It's going to be very pressing upon the Legislature to look at truth-in-sentencing," he said.
Mississippi's truth-in-sentencing law requires most inmates to serve 85 percent of their sentence before they're considered for parole.
Malone and Senate Corrections Chairman Robert "Bunky" Huggins, R-Greenwood, said this summer they'll review some of the state's sentencing laws.
In the just-ended 2004 session, lawmakers passed a bill that will allow some nonviolent inmates to work time off their sentences. Malone said lawmakers may take another look at amending the law to include drug offenders, depending on the crime committed.
"If it's a big time drug dealer, we're not going to look at him," Malone said. "Violent offenders, we're not going to even look at. They're going to stay there and do there time and we're going to make it just as rough on them as we can."
Lawmakers also may look at the state's drug possession law.
Before July 1998, a person charged with simple possession of cocaine could get a maximum three-year sentence. Currently, the maximum sentence for the same charge escalates depending on the amount of the drug.
For instance, a person convicted of possessing 2 to 10 grams of cocaine could get four to 16 years in prison, while a conviction for possessing more than 30 grams is 10 to 30 years.
Charlie Wood, an assistant district attorney in Harrison County, said most of the drug offenses his office prosecutes are less than 2 ounces.
"Typically, a crack cocaine user is going to have a small amount of cocaine on him - less than a gram," Wood said. "Addicts don't carry that stuff around with them. They smoke it if they've got it."
Wood said the focus should be on treating drug offenders for their addiction.