Our view: Be tough, be smart

Veteran Texas lawmaker brings practical message to Alaska

Published: September 18th, 2010 04:49 PM, Anchorage Daily News

Texas State Representative Jerry Madden had no particular expertise to offer when the Speaker of the House there asked him to chair the Corrections committee in 2005. His contact with the criminal justice system was limited to a few traffic tickets. He was an engineer, not a lawyer. His marching orders included this one: "Don't build new prisons. They cost too much

Yet the state's own projections showed that Texas, with about 150,000 inmates in 112 prisons (not counting federal institutions), would have 17,700 more inmates by 2012.
No new prisons. In Texas, with its tough-on-crime rep that Madden stresses is "legitimately earned." What to do?

Madden put his engineer's mind to the problem, and soon realized that prevention up front was the key -- both prevention of crime in the first place, and then prevention of recidivism for those getting out of prison. That meant early intervention programs like the Nurse-Family Partnership, which helps single moms from pregnancy through their child's first two years. That meant alcohol and drug abuse programs, both in prison and out, and transitional programs for those getting out of prison.

Madden brought his "be tough, but be smart" message to Alaska for Saturday's "Forum on Cost-Effective Justice" at the Loussac Library.

"I'm an engineer," Madden says. "So I demand data. I demand facts."

He built a staff to seek out programs both in Texas and around the country that worked. He developed a systematic approach to the problem, identifying five places to concentrate efforts on keeping people out of crime, or keeping violators from repeating -- "changing hearts and minds" and breaking the cycle of crime. The five were parole, probation, diversion for drunken driving offenders, school programs to cut the "pipeline to prison" for young offenders, and even preschool programs, which have proven over time to improve the odds that a youngster will stay within the law.

He developed a $240 million program that focused on prevention, treatment, transition and better probation control. That was expensive, but a bargain compared with the alternative proposal, which was $600 million and included three new prisons. Today, he said, Texas doesn't expect to build any new prisons for some years. Nor, he said, is Texas building new programs. Rather, Texas is expanding treatment and other proven programs.

A conservative Republican, Madden has made his reforms bipartisan -- or nonpartisan. He hasn't touched sentencing rules, although he thinks judges should have leeway to make punishments fit crimes. He's not averse to the death penalty and wants violent offenders put away for a long time. But he urges people to see the difference between criminals we need to fear and those we're simply "mad at." And he urges people to see the gains in prevention, whereby potential inmates instead become real contributors, and violators change to abide by the law.

"Doing smart things will make communities safer and will probably save you money," he said.

Alaska faces similar challenges -- and the potential for similar solutions. A 2009 report by UAA's Institute for Social and Economic Research suggests that an increase of $4 million a year in prevention and intervention programs (from $17 million to $21 million) could cut Alaska's projected prison population by 10 percent and save $321 million by 2030.
At $45,000 a year to keep a person in prison here, it makes sense to spend a fraction of that to keep as many as possible out of prison -- and still keep us safe.
Madden's message is one Alaska should heed.

BOTTOM LINE: Without intelligence, "tough on crime" is just a cheap bumper sticker and an expensive policy.

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2010/09/18/1460769/our-view-be-tough-be-smart.html#ixzz101G1VPVm