Prison Expansion

Jo Ellen Litz
Prison Expansion

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People Above Politics

Taking Action, Getting Results.

2501 Cumberland St., Lebanon PA 17042

274-1175

If you demand open government, drop me a note to receive email alerts informing you of meeting highlights that let you know how commissioners vote on issues. Litz@mbcomp.com

Team Litz:

Honorary Chair: Lt. Gov. Catherine Baker Knoll

Chair: Jeff Werner

Treasurer: Richelle Whitman

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Prison expansion not best answer
By Jo Ellen Litz

Did you know it costs up to $55 per day to incarcerate one prisoner?

Did you know, to alleviate prison overcrowding, this year Lebanon County issued a bond which includes $1 million to $1.5 million to expand the prison by purchasing an undetermined number of prefabricated units?

Would it not be a smarter investment to spend these dollars needed to rehabilitate and get prisoners back to work, paying taxes and off drugs? Then, send the more "hard-core" prisoners, those with sentences of two or more years, to the state prisons where they belong.

As a candidate for Lebanon County Commissioner and during my tenure as the minority commissioner on the Lebanon County Prison Board, prison reform has been a key issue. The proper role of county prisons is as a last chance to rehabilitate prisoners with sentences of two years or less.

The belief of many in this community is to make our prison larger. However, more bricks, mortar and bars won't restore lives. Since local prisoners will be out again fairly soon, don't you want them to behave and get off of drugs while we have them in jail, and become productive citizens? Let's not just warehouse local prisoners, which we pay for later through escalating crimes or re-incarceration.

Our Lebanon courts do an excellent job of defending the innocent, prosecuting criminals, hearing cases to determine innocence and guilt and running the existing county prison. In general, less-violent offenders are housed at the Lebanon County prison for periods of less than two years. You, the Lebanon taxpayer, pick up this tab to house, clothe, feed and provide medical coverage to prisoners. To help alleviate this financial burden on the taxpayers, during my term as your county commissioner, we started a cost-recovery program whereby prisoners contribute a portion of their earnings toward their keep.

As in all cases, there is room for improvement.

For instance, let us strengthen our alternative sentencing efforts rather than expanding the county prison. Everyone wants to be tough on crime and punish thieves, rapists and murderers. In fact, the more serious criminals receive sentences more than two years in length. When this happens, the criminal is supposed to go to the state prison system, which is financed by state taxes.

In reality, there are exceptions to housing the two year-plus sentenced prisoners in Lebanon County due to family situations, plea bargains and mental health or drug and alcohol problems. The catch is that the financial burden for state-sentenced prisoners residing in the Lebanon County prison is currently borne solely by the taxpayers of Lebanon County. During this past year, at one time or another, 10 percent or better -- 40 to 50, as many as 100 -- in Lebanon's 400 to 500-person prison population consisted of state-sentenced prisoners.

Alleviating prison overcrowding may occur with multiple solutions that are less costly than a bigger prison:

	Expand electronic monitoring;
	Expand alternative sentencing like community service;
	Expand the successful Renaissance Crossroads drug and alcohol treatment program run by Jeff Imboden at the Lebanon VA Medical Center;
	Support mental-heath programs that monitor minor situations before they escalate into criminal activity;
	Attach wages of those delinquent in child support;
	Conduct boot camps;
	And immediately upon sentencing, process and move state-sentenced prisoners into the state system.

It will take a team effort to keep escalating prison costs in check. We need to sit down with all parties, a task force if you will, consisting of judges, prosecutors, legislators, commissioners and devise a plan of action that will keep Lebanon County both safe from criminals and economically sound while placing the minimum financial burden possible upon our citizens.

Let's be smart on crime by re-thinking the bricks and mortar project, find acceptable sentencing alternatives and process state prisoners as soon as possible after sentencing.