By Carrie Brown McWhorter
The Alabama Baptist
Prison reform efforts in Alabama may stall if the Legislature fails to find additional revenue for the state’s General Fund during the second special session that began Sept. 8.
In May, Gov. Robert Bentley signed into law Senate Bill 67, legislation intended to reduce the prison population in Alabama and save millions in related costs.
The bill is projected to cost the state $23 million to $26 million per year to implement, and legislators at the time said funding would be available. That promise now seems to be in doubt.
Saving in future costs
At the signing, Bentley praised the bill that will cut the state’s prison population by more than 4,200 people, provide supervision for 3,000 former inmates and save more than $380 million in future costs.
In testimony before the U.S. House Committee Oversight and Government Reform on July 14, Bentley touted the state’s prison reform efforts, saying Alabama has made “significant progress” to improve its criminal justice system.
He also noted in written testimony that “the success of the prison reform bill hinges upon adequate funding, which is a matter that the state Legislature must address in an upcoming special session.”
During that session, the Legislature failed to pass a General Fund budget, raising concerns about whether the state will be able to implement the reforms. Instead of adding the money needed by the Department of Corrections (DOC), budget proposals have called for cuts of 5 percent to the DOC.
Youth offenders
In addition the governor’s office said the stripped-down budget could hurt youth offenders. The Department of Youth Services, which operates several juvenile correctional facilities in the state, could see layoffs of personnel and closure of detention facilities.
The result would be fewer options to keep young people out of detention facilities and an increase in juvenile commitments, as well as an increase in the juvenile commitment backlog in communities, according to the governor.
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