MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Former Speaker of the U.S. House Newt Gingrich and President Pro Tempore of the Alabama Senate Del Marsh on Wednesday penned an op-ed published Wednesday urging the State Legislature to pass the prison reforms recommended by Senator Cam Ward and the Alabama Prison Reform Task Force.
“As conservatives,” the op-ed begins, “we believe that keeping the public safe is a primary duty of government.”
“As leaders of legislative bodies, one as Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and the other President Pro Tempore of the Alabama State Senate, we applied conservative principles to the criminal justice system, giving the agencies the authority and the resources to keep our neighborhoods safe. The success of these policies can be seen in our crime rates, which are lower than they have been in decades.”
The op-ed decries the “band-aid solutions” that have made the administration of Alabama’s prisons expensive and difficult.
Gingrich and Marsh gave the example of California, whose prison system was taken over by the federal government, as what the state should work to avoid as soon as possible.
In the 2011 Supreme Court case Brown v. Plata, the Court effectively required the State of California to remove 46,000 criminals from its prisons by forcing The Golden State to cut its prison population to 137.5 percent of “design capacity.” Alabama prisons are currently at roughly 187 percent capacity, 50 percent higher than the level the Court mandated for California.
The Alabama Prison Reform Task Force has worked to develop a plan to increase prison space, reduce recidivism, and help the state avoid federal government involvement.
“Over the past year, Alabama lawmakers, leaders in the criminal justice system, local and state judges, district attorneys, victims’ rights groups and others worked together on the Prison Reform Task Force to develop a new plan to reduce recidivism and maximize this prison space for the most violent and dangerous offenders,” said Gingrich and Marsh.
“The Task Force’s recommendations should be a high priority for the legislature.”
The two leaders point out that the proposed reforms will not lead to a “mass release of convicted criminals,” but instead will make reforms to free up space, including space for new prison beds, and will make sure criminals are given the most appropriate sentences.
In the op-ed, Gingrich and Marsh warn of the dire consequences Alabama would face if the reforms aren’t implemented. “If the legislature fails to pass these reforms to reduce the pressure of overcrowding,” they said, “the costs of Alabama’s prison system will continue to increase dramatically, drawing greater and greater resources that could be spent on schools, roads and other state priorities.”
“As conservatives,” the op-ed concludes, “we urge the legislature to take these important steps to contain our out-of-control corrections spending while keeping our people safe.”
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— Elizabeth BeShears (@LizEBeesh) January 21, 2015
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